The Malfoy Redemption
by Xpecto Patronum
Summary: Elitists, snobbish and downright evil don't even start to describe the Malfoys. But as the war approaches we learn that nothing is the way it seems on the outside. What would happen if a certain Malfoy gets a chance at redemption? Does he have what it takes? Or will the boy-who-couldn't-do-it fail again? *I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER*
1. Blood And Other Misfortunes

**Hello everybody! I had this fanfic in mind a year or so ago and I published some of it only to remove it, changed it 180 degrees and there it is. I'm writing this because when I first read HP I was young and I unconditionally hated the Malfoys, but now that I'm older I see them in a different light, as a devoted family who deserves a second chance even if one of them made all the wrong decisions. Stay tuned. :)  
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><p>"STOP! Please stop! It's a copy! It's just a copy...please…PLEASE!" Hermione screamed at the top of her lungs.<p>

She could feel every cell in her body throbbing with pain, moving her lips to form the words her mind miraculously managed to come up with seemed like the hardest task she ever had to do.  
>Bellatrix was crouched over Hermione's writhing body, the latter could see her reflection in a pair of dark cruel eyes dancing with psychopathic thrill at the sight of her pain consumed body.<p>

Just when she thought she couldn't survive another second, a new wave of pain hit her, she was shaking her head to either sides when she caught a pair of silver grey eyes looking at her intently through a slightly opened door, for a moment the silver eyes held her pained gaze before the pain distracted her from keeping eye contact.

Suddenly there was a loud crashing noise outside the room, it took Bellatrix by surprise that she stormed out of the room not caring to cast a Mobilicorpus spell on the girl who was too exhausted to even think of escaping, Bellatrix stormed out of the room vowing under her breath to severely punish whoever interrupted her torture session.

Hermione tried lifting herself off the floor but it was to no avail, every muscle in her body refused to function properly after the attack they've been undergoing for the past thirty minutes. She could hear fast footsteps coming her way but her tear-blurred vision couldn't make out who the figure approaching her was. Before she could realize it, the figure grabbed her arm tightly, braced her over its chest and stood up lifting her.

Suddenly she felt like she was being squeezed through a tight rubber pipe. When she opened her eyes again she could see the scene had changed. She was now in a vast room, a king size bed covered in green satin sheets dominated the room. Next to the bed was a rocking chair with a mahogany table carrying a semi-full glass of Butterbeer and a seemingly unfinished book.

As the figure lowered her carefully to a large couch she suddenly realized she still doesn't know who the figure was, snapping her head, she once more caught the silver grey pair of eyes, this time she was able to identify who they belong to. The sense of relief that momentarily washed over her when she opened her eyes to find herself somewhere else away from the foul Bellatrix Lestrange instantly vanished when she realized that her new company was no other than Bellatrix's nephew.

Looking frantically around her for an escape, Hermione tried to stand up but the stabbing pain she felt in her legs forced her to fall on the floor landing on her back and hurting her head.

"Granger! I take my hands off you for a second and you're on the floor, are you set on breaking a record in clumsiness?" Draco Malfoy asked frowning at the girl in front of him. Leaning forward he started to lift her up when she started waving her hands around like a maniac trying to scratch and punch him, with every sway of her hands she discovered a new wound she didn't know existed.  
>Tears rolled down her cheeks involuntarily and as she tried to free her hand from Malfoy's grip, she accidentally pushed up her leg causing another stab of pain to hit her again. It was then that Hermione lost her self control, fear, pain and a severe loss of hope were nagging in her chest and she started sobbing uncontrollably.<p>

"Let me go Malfoy!_ LET ME GO!_" She shouted at him.

"Please let me go…_please_" she begged in what came out like a soft moan. Draco raised his hand to remove her hair off her face but she instantly jerked her face away

"If you ever touch me again I swear I'll bite off your finger, let me go I said…for once act against your cowardly nature and let me get out of here." she hissed at him.

Draco who was watching in amusement as her words changed from threats to pleads and her tone going from high and authoritarian to barely audible and desperate, had already come to the conclusion that Hermione Granger was having a nervous breakdown. But when he heard her call him a coward, all the efforts he had been spending on remaining calm and acting like an adult vanished. He violently let go of her hand causing her to fall back to the floor.

"You know what, Granger? I think I'll take your advice this time and act against my…what did you call it? Yes, my cowardly nature. I'm letting you go, Granger, go ahead, let us see if you can even make it to the door." He challenged coldly as a sarcastic smirk played on lips.  
>Retiring to his rocking chair he picked up his unfinished glass and started sipping his Butterbeer as he watched her futile attempts at standing up.<p>

For a couple of seconds Hermione eyed Draco warily suspecting he'll hex her at any moment but he just sat there his eyes never leaving challenging smirk on his face telling her that the boy in front of her was positive of her inability to move. She could tell her legs are broken although she didn't recall how or when that happened. Looking around her, searching for her wand...or any wand, she finally gave up and figured out she'll have to make do without magic.  
>Bracing a hand on the couch to her right and the other on a wooden table to her left, she tried to lift herself up. Before she could realize it, the wooden table –unable to support Hermione's weight- flipped and the food tray that was placed on it flew at Hermione, two plates and a glass of water fell around Hermione trapping her in a circle of shattered glass.<p>

"_Fuck!_" Draco cursed under his breath as he jumped out of his seat to clear up the mess and asses the damage.


	2. The Lesser Of Two Evils

As Draco leaned forward to pick Hermione up away from the mess that surrounded her, she tried to sit up bracing her weight on her hands which only caused splinters of glass to hurt her palms causing her to bleed.

"Granger, for Merlin's sake! Will you _stop_ thinking for yourself? Every time you do this you seem to only make things worse!" Draco tried his best to control the rage in his voice.

What was wrong with this girl? And they call her the smartest witch of her age! Every time she decides to move on her own she just adds a new injury to herself…a new injury which he will have to deal with. One last time, he thought to himself, I'll try to lift her up one last time and if she fights I'll let her enjoy her current status on the floor. As he started to lift her to the couch, he was surprised to receive no resistance from her side.

When the pain was too much to handle Hermione finally gave up, what was the worse that could happen? Would he kill her? No, Malfoy doesn't have it in him to kill somebody even if his life depended on it. But something was telling her the boy in front of her has changed since the last time she had seen him. A dark shade of purple now underlines his eyes, his brows furrowed and his usual snobbish look was replaced with a cold stare.  
>And what if he did try to kill her? It seemed like her life was going from bad to worse with full speed anyway. Trying to recall the events of the day, she found her memory full of random distorted scenes and she wasn't able to form a clear story of what happened.<p>

"What happened?" she asked weakly.

"A lot has happened lately, Granger, if you could be more specific?" Draco replied, for once not pausing to smirk at his own sarcastic comment.

Looking down at him she saw him crouched over a box full of tiny flasks and potion ingredients. When he turned to her he had a flask that contained a clear purple liquid, he dropped a few drops over the wounds on her palms, thin lines of smoke evaporated into the air as the liquid touched Hermione's hand. It stung and a sense of panic took over, what was she thinking when she let Malfoy use a potion on her! Hermione pulled her hand from Draco's frantically.

"What are you trying to do? Let go of me, Malfoy!" She barked at him

"Yes, it is very sensible to think I'm trying to harm or kill you using a potion...on your hands, because I couldn't do it when you were half conscious." Draco mocked dryly. "However, unlike you Granger, I am actually smart. This is a wound cleaning potion, it will sting at first but it's only to clean your wounds" he added. Looking up at her, Draco noticed her eyes were glistening with tears.

"_Merlin_, Granger!" he exclaimed "I know it hurts, I had first hand experience with it, but it doesn't hurt that much…I could stop now but the sooner your wounds are clean, the better." he advised. "And believe me when I say that the fact that this is making you cry gives me a thrill I haven't had in a while." he added, his usual smirk finally returning.

Hermione felt ashamed of her weakness, she had endured worse,what happened to her now? Looking at the flask in Malfoy's hand she realized that it was exactly what he said. She scolded herself in her head, hell would freeze before she lets Malfoy enjoy her misery.

"It's okay, seems like my pain tolerance has betrayed me, thanks to my pleasant time with your aunt" She answered bitterly "but I'll be damned if I let you enjoy this" she added, lifting her chin up in defiance.

Draco knew describing his aunt as a sadistic maniac would be putting it mildly. Granger thinks she had seen it all but, truthfully, he was the one who saw it all. The only thing worse than having Bellatrix Lestrange torture you, is having her mentor you.

"So what do you want to know about what happened?" he tried to make his change of subject subtle.

Hermione found herself chuckling involuntarily at the fact that he used the "Muggle" way of distracting her from the pain. It reminded her of her parents, how her father used to chat with his patients so they won't concentrate on their pain. At the memory of her parents she felt a cold grip squeeze her heart and what started as a good memory of her parents ended as a reminder of what she had lost for now and -judging by the way things were going- forever.

"What's wrong now?" Draco asked, interrupting her thoughts. _Everything_, she thought, "Nothing" she replied.

"Everything." he scoffed catching her off guard, Harry had told her once that Malfoy was practicing Legilimency but she would know if he was breaking into her mind, wouldn't she?

An alarm bell rang in her head, she can't afford giving him any information, she started thinking that her situation was actually getting worse. Bellatrix's torture was something she tried so hard to put up with but having her own mind invaded? How could she stop that when she had never practiced Occlumency?

"Listen, Malfoy, I know you're practicing Legilimency; Harry told me. But I swear if you ever try breaking through my mind again I will make sure you don't live to make use of the information you get." she threatened using every ounce of power that was left in her.

_Again? What did she mean again, when was the first time?_ Draco found himself for the fourth or fifth time this day wondering what the hell was wrong with Hermione Granger! And how on earth did Potter know he practiced Legilimency?

"Hold on just a second, Granger_" he raised his hand in a motion to stop her "_What do you mean again? I never came near your thoughts before, I didn't do it now and I don't plan on doing it in the near future, either. You don't need Legilimency to put one and one together. You have two broken legs, so many cuts I can't even start counting them, my lunatic aunt had spent quite a while torturing you, you're alone with no idea where your pathetic excuses for friends are or whether they're still alive or not, and this is just the top of the list, a toddler can tell you're a liar when you say nothing is wrong." Draco stated matter-of-factly looking at her superciliously.  
>"Also, how does Potter know what I do and don't practice? Which is more, why were you and Potter discussing me?" He asked quizzically raising an eyebrow, his expression confused before a ghost of a smirk started playing on his lips.<p>

"Oh wipe that smug look off your face Malfoy! We weren't discussing you, you flatter yourself way too much. And I will not answer your questions I don't have to and you can't make me."Hermione retorted jerking her head to face away from him.

"Can't I? Think again about that last part, Granger, you really don't want me to start displaying the many ways I have to make you answer me."Draco warned, his signature smirk provoking Hermione more and more.

"Is that a threat Malfoy? Because it sounds very much like you, threatening your opponent when they're at their weakest. You're a pathetic excuse of a man, born a coward and you will die as one." She bit out her voice dripping contempt.

All the time Draco was talking to her while mixing what seemed like potion ingredients, at her last remark he paused for a fleeting second and she could see his hand shake slightly before going back to normal as if nothing happened.

"That was a statement, Granger. And you would do well to keep in mind you're not my opponent; because if you were, you wouldn't be sitting in my room insulting me, you'd still be enjoying my aunt's _pleasant company_." Draco threw her words back at her.

Hermione shuddered at the mention of Bellatrix, no matter what Malfoy was going to do to her, she was positive it would be nothing compared to what Bellatrix would do, he was by far the lesser of two evils.


	3. For The Greater Good

A/N: This story includes lots of characters and I hope you don't mind that. Hope you enjoy your read.

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><p>Harry paced the floor nervously. He had been counting the hours since they escaped the Malfoy Manor, leaving Hermione behind. Hours he had spent blaming himself for leaving Hermione, but he remembered her words, those were the only reason he agreed to escape and leave her.<p>

...

"Harry can I have a word with you, please?" Hermione asked hesitantly one day after they had had breakfast at the burrow.

"Sure Hermione, what's up?" he replied, his face changing from a smile into a confused look when he noted her hesitance. Ron eyed them then frowned as Hermione led Harry to another room.

"I need to talk to you about something important before we go on our mission." Hermione paused for a second taking a deep breath.

"Harry this...this situation, it's really big, bigger than you, me or any of us. This is a battle between good and evil, two concepts, not the order and the death eaters. Not you and him." Hermione said, the crease forming between her eyebrows said that she was focusing to finding the right words and Harry knew better than to interrupt a focused Hermione.

"What we're going to do, whether it was breaking into a vault or any other mission we'll have later on, it will involve a lot of danger. Some of us might get hurt, maybe even killed." She paused to swallow and take another deep breath.

"What I want to say is, if somebody got hurt, we'll have to keep going anyway. If…if something happens to me, if I got caught I want you to let go of me and run away. I know this is not something you would do, that's why we're having this talk now." She paused and took Harry's hand in hers.

"If something happens to you or Ron, I'd be devastated, but I'll try my best to survive and finish what we started. I want you to do the same for me. If one of us got caught and the others ran away, he might die, but the others will survive. But if one got caught and the others stayed around to save him, chances are, we'll all get killed. And you are one of the most important parts of this battle, you have to do your best to stay till the end." Hermione reasoned with him, her eyes showing how determined she is on making him see her point.

"Harry, people are not dying for _you_. You have to understand that, there is a greater cause. Do you think this is just a matter of survival of the fittest? That the stronger side wins? If that's the case, don't you think-given our numbers- that we're fighting a lost battle, then?" Harry looked puzzled as he heard Hermione say words he had never heard her say before.  
>"We're fighting for a cause, they're fighting for a person. If he dies, they won't fight anymore, but if you...die" Hermione hesitated "We will keep fighting anyway. Nobody in this war is indispensable, Harry."<p>

...

Ron's angry footsteps interrupted Harry's deep thoughts. He knew Ron was mad at him; he didn't see the whole picture. The way Ron saw it, Harry grabbed his arm and let Dobby apparate the three of them out of the Manor leaving back Hermione.

"Ron, will you please listen to me? I have enough on my mind without you being mad at me" Harry plead, hoping Ron would finally yield and listen to what he had to say. Instead, Ron grabbed his trunk and stormed out of the room slamming the behind him.

Minutes later, the door opened slightly, Harry expected to see Mrs. Weasley checking on him, but instead, Ginny's head peaked from behind the door, silently asking for permission to come in.

Harry smiled weakly at Ginny who came in and closed the door behind her. "I've seen Ron storming out of the room his face all red and I thought you two had a fight, what happened?" she asked.

"We didn't fight, he won't even talk to me, he doesn't understand and he won't let me explain." Harry said waving his hand around him in frustration.

"He needs to know of your talk with Hermione. If you tell him, maybe he'll understand why you left." Ginny said softly, desperate to find any way to fix things between Harry and Ron.

"That's what I've been trying to do, Ginny! He won't even let me start a sentence, he's doing his best to avoid me!" Harry said, his voice higher than normal with frustration.

Sitting down on the nearest chair he put his head between his hands and rested his elbows on his knees. Ginny watched him for a minute before kneeling in front of him and putting her arms around him,Harry rested his head on her shoulder. A soft knock on the door was followed by Mrs. Weasley entering the room announcing dinner was ready, embarrassed at entering the room so suddenly, she mumbled something inaudible and left a shy Harry and a blushing Ginny cursing her family's tendencies to enter rooms unannounced.

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><p>"Drink this" Draco ordered as he offered Hermione a bottle containing a light blue liquid after he finished cleaning her last wound.<p>

"Sure, like I would drink anything you offer me, Malfoy!" Hermione scoffed.

Ignoring her remark, he explained "It's a pain relief potion, you won't be able to sleep if you don't drink it."

Hermione eyed him suspiciously, she recognized the potion, she knew how much it would help right now. But that was Malfoy, he could've manipulated the potion or even poisoned it, she couldn't trust him, he must be getting something out of keeping her alive, and until she found out what was his plan she had to keep a watchful eye.  
>"No thanks, I'd prefer a sleepless night." She bit out.<p>

"I don't prefer one though, so when you're in so much pain you can't handle it, I don't want you to interrupt my sleep with your screams." He retorted, slamming the bottle on a table beside a smaller bed in the opposite corner of the room.

Grabbing his wand he pointed it at Hermione. "Wingardium Leviosa" he muttered, lifting Hermione from the couch and to the bed. She gasped as the movement took her by surprise, she used the spell so often but it was never used on her before.

"_Malfoy!_ Next time you move me around like I'm some object of yours at least let me know before you do." Hermione hissed at Draco who just looked at her impassively.

"Note taken, Granger. Have a miserable night." he replied, and before she could say anything, he turned on his heel and walked away. Casting a spell at the door as he headed to his bed only to stop when he heard a sharp knock on the door.


	4. Benefit Of The Doubt

A/N: Wow! 5 people actually think what I'm writing is worth following, this has to say something, huh? Thank you guys for your follows and your reviews. 3

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><p>Draco grabbed his wand, pointing it at Hermione before she had a chance to react, she felt like a raw egg had been cracked over her head and her skin started changing into the same color as the bed she was lying in. She realized it was disillusionment charm. He opened the door only to find a house elf facing the floor.<p>

"Mistress Lestrange has left the Manor. She told Linny to tell Master Malfoy to meet her tomorrow at 7 in the morning." The elf conveyed the message in a meek voice.

"Did she say where?" Draco asked

"In the manor, sir." Linny replied, timidly raising her head to face Draco before lowering it back again quickly.

"Fine." Malfoy replied curtly before slamming the door in front of the tiny creature.

With another wave of his wand, the charm he had cast minutes ago was gone. He could see Hermione darting a disapproving look at him.

"I'm sorry, Granger, next time a house elf knocks my door I shall salute them and invite them in to have some tea. Actually, maybe I should have my meals in the kitchen with them, that way we could all have a happy tea party!" Draco spat disdainfully before heading to his bed, expecting her to retort at any time, but she didn't.

Hermione shifted in her bed. Her body was drenched in sweat and with every wave of pain, she thought she won't be able to take it anymore until the next wave hit more furiously than the previous one. Finally she decided to drink the potion Draco had left her, after hours of reasoning with herself she reached a conclusion that he wasn't trying to kill her. Why was he keeping her in his room, bringing her food and cleaning her wounds? She didn't know that, but she was positive about one thing, Draco Malfoy was still his usual self, only this time, he was using her for something she couldn't figure out yet.

A little timid voice inside her was urging her to believe he was actually trying to help, that people could change and there was nothing as a natural born villain. But her memories of him calling her a mudblood, attacking Harry in the Hogwarts Train on their sixth year and finally, the fact that _he_ was assigned to kill Dumbledore, all those memories silenced that timid voice that rose inside her. But he didn't kill Dumbledore the voice argued, he would've done it if Snape didn't beat him to it...Snape, her mind drifted to her treacherous professor.

How could he? How could he stand in front of the man that trusted him when nobody did and kill him so coldly? She can still remember the look on Harry's face when he broke the news to them, how every time Snape's name was mentioned ever since, his eyes blazed with fury. She knew Harry was never the vindictive type, and to see him vowing to avenge, showed her how deep the man had hurt her friend.

Another stab of pain snapped her out of her thoughtsو taking her by surprise and forcing her to let out a whimper.

Draco's eyes flew open at the barely audible whimper, his hands automatically went to grab his wand which he always kept beneath his pillow. Jumping out of his bed he glanced at the door and then headed straight towards Hermione. "Homenum Revelio" he muttered, letting out a short sigh when the charm didn't reveal anybody in the room.  
>He finally turned to Hermione "You look terrible, Granger, what happened?" he inquired, his eyes travelling all over the room with a frown.<p>

"Nothing" Hermione replied weakly "a stab of pain surprised me so I unintentionally let out a whimper, I didn't mean to interrupt your sleep, I didn't know such a low noise would wake you up." she explained, pain took over her leaving no place for ego. Later, later she would get back at Malfoy for everything. When she's on her legs again, with a wand in her hand. But now, her mind was too overwhelmed with pain, she couldn't remember even the simplest charms. Her trembling hands couldn't possibly hold a wand and her legs were burning.

"Why didn't you drink the potion?" He demanded. Hermione looked at him blankly, she knew even Malfoy was smarter than asking this question. Almost as if he read her mind, he sighed heavily shaking his head and knelt beside her bed his eyes looking directly into hers.

"Listen, Granger and listen well because I'm not sure I'll be able to say this again" He paused for a second waiting for her to show any sign that she's listening, at her nod, he continued "I am not going to hurt you, this potion is not poisoned and in case you haven't noticed, you've been safe the moment you entered this room, more safe than you've ever been in months, actually. I am not doing this for you, your welfare and your life in general are my last concern. I have a plan of my own and you're going to help me with it; because you won't have any other option and because you owe me. I saved you from my aunt who had a long list of plans for you, non of them included you surviving at the end." he smiled bitterly.

"I know what you think of me Granger, but honestly, I couldn't care less about your opinion, or anybody else's. Everybody is in this war for something, even you. You can put on whatever facade you want, but I know part of you is going through this war so mudbloods and pure bloods can be treated as equals, so you don't have to hear the word you just flinched at." He paused to smirk at her, only it came out as a bitter ghost of a smile. "You could run away, we all know he's only after Potter. You can even hide in the muggle world and nobody would care to hunt you down, but you won't, because there's something in this war for you. I too, am willing to fight for a thing or two. And you're going to help me, not just you, the whole order will, but they won't trust me without some..." he paused to find the right word "persuasion, on your side. And in return I can offer them some desperately needed help." he added after a thoughtful pause.

It took Hermione a couple of minutes to digest the information she had just been told. Were his words true? Did a part of her she never recognized actually want a personal gain from this war? NO!  
>And which is more...Malfoy isn't loyal to Voldemort? He wants to help the order? He wants her to help him earn the order's trust? Can she even trust him? NO!<br>This was Malfoy who had enjoyed making her life miserable for years...this was Malfoy who almost killed Dumbledore! Almost, the timid voice inside her repeated. But is it the same Malfoy? During their school years if somebody had told her Malfoy would be cleaning her wounds and saving her from his lunatic aunt she would've thought of it as a sick joke. But what if it wasn't? What if he did actually change over the past year? Did she have it in her to trust him? So far he hadn't done anything to harm her, on the contrary, he was more helpful than he had ever been since she knew him. She should try to see the good in him, Hermione decided, she would hear what he has to say but she won't tell him any valuable information about the order until she knows if she can really trust him, after all, he was her only way out.

"Are you trying to say you're switching sides, Malfoy?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"I never belonged to one in the first place, Granger. I'm saying I have thought about this approaching war thoroughly and I decided to take whichever side that would give me what I want." Draco replied with a slight tilt of his chin.

"Alright, you should know then, that I do not trust you, not one iota. But I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. You have to be more clear, though, what is is that you want and the order can give you?" Hermione asked inquisitively.

"A safe place for my mother to hide at, until the war comes to an end or -in case the dark lord won- forever." He replied in the most serious tone she had ever heard from him.

"You...you mean you and your mother?" Hermione inquired, unable to believe that the reason why Draco Malfoy wanted to help order was for somebody else's benefit. The Draco Malfoy she knew would never perform an act of selflessness even if it was for his own mother.

"No, Granger, I was very clear and I'm not in a habit of repeating my words." He stared at her coldly before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

A puzzled Hermione reached for the bottle next to her and gulped it down.


	5. If This Be Treason

**A/N: Okay, guys, this chapter is tricky. Writing it took a LOT of time and research. I hope my efforts were not wasted.**

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><p>Draco limped into the dining room, he could hear his aunt yelling at somebody but couldn't make out what she was saying.<p>

"My favorite nephew!" Bellatrix greeted, almost childishly as he entered the dinning room. "What did you do?" she demanded, her tone of voice suddenly changed into a serious one.

Narcissa Malfoy who was sitting silently in a corner stood abruptly at the sight of her limping son. "Draco! What happened to you?" the distraught woman asked.

"Noth.." Draco started to say when Bellatrix interrupted him, "Cissy, Cissy, your motherly affections can wait." she ordered.

"Now tell me Draco, what did you do? Did you find out who it was?" Bellatrix asked anxiously.

She had been waiting for her nephew to come back from his so called search ever since Narcissa told her he was looking for the traitor who helped the mudblood escape.

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><p>Bellatrix was ecstatic at the capture of Hermione Granger. She was having her fun torturing her, when a loud noise interrupted them. She went to inspect only to find that the stupid, filthy excuses of men that were gathered in the Malfoy Manor have tried opening a room that is hexed so only a Malfoy could enter it. Causing spells to fly everywhere breaking every breakable object all over the hall.<p>

Had she enough time, she would've made sure they were all instantly punished, but focusing on the task on hand, she promised them all to inform the Dark lord of their foolishness before storming back to the room where she left the mudblood. It was only when Bellatrix reached the room, finding that the girl was gone that she realized it. The noise had nothing but a distraction. Somebody must have broken into the Manor...or maybe Harry Potter and his friend never left in the first place. She went furious and called for all the Death Eaters in the Manor to gather before her.

It was then that Narcissa approached her.

"Where is your son Narcissa? He was just here minutes ago when I was inspecting the damage!" Bellatrix hissed.

"He left once he heard the news about the mudblood running away, he said he knows who did it and he thinks it's one of us, I couldn't get any further information from him he said he had to go after him before he runs away" Narcissa said warily, lowering her voice so the men in the room won't hear.

"What? How does he know? And why wouldn't he give you a name? This is _not_ time for riddles, Narcissa your son should know that. Which is more, why didn't he tell _me_ this important piece of information?" Bellatrix fired question after the other at her sister, her low whisper coming out as a hiss.

"Because _I'm_ his mother, Bella. He usually heads to me first." Narcissa fumed.

"And _I'm_ the reason you don't have a dead son, Cissy. You had better keep that in mind."Bellatrix sneered.

Facing away from her sister, Bellatrix eyed the men in front of her suspiciously, her eyes lingering on each of them in turn.

"Where is Rowle? Wasn't he here this morning?" she interrogated raising an eye brow.

"Y-Yes he was. He told me you sent him to the dark lord to break the news of Potter's escape." Dolohov replied hesitantly.

Bellatrix's eyes widened for a second before exchanging a knowing glance with her sister.

"When Draco comes back, tell him to come to me instantly." she ordered before dismissing the men, ordering them to keep the news of the escape a secret then heading to her room.

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><p>Now Draco was back and she would finally feed her curiosity and hopefully avoid the Dark Lord's fury over the series of escapes that had been taking place lately.<p>

"What took you so long Draco? It has been a whole day!" Bellatrix demanded, running out of patience.

"It took me some time to find the man and more time to bring him here." Dracoe said before opening a trunk he brought with him.

The trunk opened into five or six boxes over each other, varying gradually in size. He reached his hand inside the box and grabbed what turned out to be Thorfinn Rowle. The man had both his hands and legs tied and his mouth sealed, he had a black eye and several cuts covering his face.

"Rowle did it, he helped the mudblood escape." Draco reported.

"Explain, Draco." Bellatrix ordered, her eyes fixed on her nephew's.

"I have seen him creeping in the hall in front of the hexed room when you sent me to call my mother when Potter and his friend escaped. I asked him what was he doing and he said he was looking where everybody was but he got lost…a story I found rather unconvincing considering the amount of time he had spent in the Manor, not to mention that he knew everybody was gathered in the dining room after Potter's escape. But I told him to stay away from that room because it was hexed and I showed him the way before coming back with my mother as per your request." Draco stopped talking as the man on the floor starting letting out muffled words and writhing on the floor.

"Silence!" Bellatrix hissed at Rowle who seized movement at once.

Draco took his aunt's nod in his direction as a permission to continue, "When the noise erupted I was in my room, changing my clothes. I went instantly to see what was wrong and I noticed everybody was there except for Rowle. I asked Dolohov where Rowle was and he said you had sent him to inform the Dark Lord of Potter's escape. Something I knew can't possibly be true. I know my own aunt, you're smart enough not to want to face the consequences." he added, empathizing his words and hardly fighting back the content smile that played on his lips when he saw Bellatrix flinch momentarily. She glanced at Dolohov who just nodded his head subtly.

"That was when I told my mother the information I had and asked her to deliver it to you. I apologize for not reporting it myself but I was in a haste to follow them. I found them hiding in a forest not so far away from the Manor, apparently the mudblood has a thing for forests." he smirked and the men in the room laughed loudly only to be silenced by Bellatrix's glare.

"I was about to catch her when Rowle attacked me injuring my leg" Draco said, lifting his trousers' leg to show a fresh wound at which Narcissa Malfoy gasped holding her hand to her mouth.

"It wasn't easy but I managed to catch him, the mudblood escaped though, by the time I was able to take Rowle down she was gone. It doesn't matter, though, because right now, I think he is more important." Draco remarked, glancing at the man on the floor.

"Speak up, Rowle." she ordered coldly, waving her wand swiftly at his direction.

"I didn't do it, Bellatrix! The boy is lying. You know I'm faithful to the Dark Lord. I have always been...I didn't do it. I swear I didn't..the boy is lying. He's LYING!" Rowle erupted in speech, panting in between words as he tried to stand up.

"How dare you talk about my son like that!" Narcissa thundered, her hand flying to her wand.

"Cissy, please." Bellatrix put her hand on her sisters shoulder, her tone authorative enough to silence Narcissa.

"What exactly is he lying about, Rowle? The fact that you were the only absent one when I came to see where the noise came from? Or the fact that you claimed I sent you to report the mudblood's capture? He's not the only one confirming this, you see." Bellatrix demanded, her eyes never leaving Rowle's.

"I wasn't there because Narcissa came and told me you requested my presence, sh.." he was interrupted with a scoff from Narcissa Malfoy who opened her mouth to talk but stopped when she heard her sister speak.

"Cissy didn't leave my side all day long and when she did, she was in her chambers, where I left her." Bellatrix replied, her coldness slowly turning into fury as Rowle offered one lie after the other.

"Then it wasn't her, maybe somebody drank a Polyjuice potion to look like her, it is possible." Rowle argued.

"Yes…yes it is possible, but who do you think would do it?" Bellatrix wondered slowly, looking as if she's thinking about what the man just said.

"Him!" he said pointing at Draco. "Her son must have done it." Rowle accused, nodding his head frantically.

"Yes but how could he do it when he was with us the whole time? Draco was present when Potter and his friends were brought to us. He was present with the rest of the men when I came to inspect the noise, it was only when the mudblood escaped that he was absent, and he was because he was chasing after _you_." Bellatrix explained, her eyes burning into Rowle's.

"It wasn't me, I swear it wasn't. You know anybody could've drank Polyjuice potion and disguised as him." the man argued again.

"Did any of you conspire with my nephew to set up the mighty Thorfinn Rowle?" Bellatrix asked sarcastically, smirking at the men in front of her.

"You see, Rowle, the people in this room are the only ones present in the Manor. So unless one of them drank your so called potion and disguised as my nephew, my sister or anybody else you're going to come up with, I pretty much doubt it was possible." Bellatrix reasoned with the man calmly.

"Bellatrix, I.." the man plead desperately.

"Why did you do it Rowle? What else did you do? How long have you been betraying us? _HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BETRAYING THE DARK LORD?_" Bellatrix roared.

The moment she pointed her wand at him the man started screaming in pain and writhing on the floor and everybody in the room knew what was happening to him.


	6. A Different Tone

"You're all dismissed, leave." Bellatrix ordered "Now!" she roared at the unresponsive men surrounding her.

Narcissa and her son climbed the stairs, their pace slow because of Draco's injured leg, once they made it to Narcissa's room, she grabbed him by the arm.

"What happened to you? Is your leg okay? Wait here I'll..." she asked, frantically searching the room for something Draco didn't know when he interrupted her, putting a hand on her arm.

"Mother, I'm fine. I did this to myself, it's nothing serious I just had to do it to make it look like Rowle put up a fight."

"Yes, Rowle, tell me how did everything go?" She asked, her eyes never leaving her son's leg.

"All went well, obviously." Draco replied, sitting on the bed and stretching his legs. "The hardest part was making it throught Selwyn's defenses. The dubious bugger placed protective charms on his filthy house enough to secure Hogwarts! And when I finally made it through them he almost killed me with the random spells he kept firing everywhere." he grimaced at the memory of having curses flying over his head.

"He spent so long interrogating me I almost thought of leaving and finding somebody else. But he finally relented, when he did, I cast an Imperius on him then made him drink the potion, it was rather...entertaining to watch him transform into you." Draco paused to smile at the disgusted look on his mother's face.

"Sent him to tell Rowle that Bellatrix requested his presence upstairs. When Rowle entered the room I attacked him and cast an Imperius on him too. I then tied his hands and legs and put him in the box, then I shot a spell at my leg so it would look like he fought back. Then I brought him down, that was when you saw me. I never knew an Imperius could be so exhausting. I feel like my brain is numb!" he sighed, throwing his head back at the pillows.

"It is, when you're casting it on more than one person at the same time, you shouldn't have done that." Narcissa chided sternly.  
>"Do you have any other ideas?" He asked, his voice louder than he intended it to be.<p>

"Did you make sure you obliviated Selwyn?" She asked, ignoring her son's question.

"Of course I did!" Draco knew it would be long before his mother stops following up his every move and double checking on him.

"What about the girl? Is she still in your ro.." Narcissa started to ask when they heard a knock on the door, she went to open the door to find a house elf informing her that Bellatrix demanded Draco's presence.

"Come in." Bellatrix ordered as she heard a knock on the door. As he entered the room he saw Rowle on the floor, covered in blood.

"Veritaserum, Draco. I want you to prepare some." She demanded.

Draco fought to keep his face as expressionless as possible.

"It's a very powerful potion, preparing it will take time." He explained.

"Time is not something we have. You don't have to prepare it, owl Snape and ask him if he has some. I don't care what you do, Draco. You have one hour." Bellatrix ordered, her tone final, allowing Draco no more arguments.

He went back to his mother's room, pale and distracted "What happened, Draco?" Narcissa asked warily at the sight of her son.

"Bellatrix wants me to bring her some Veritaserum, she gave me one hour...I don't know what to do." he replied inattentively as he threw himself on the nearest couch.

"Wait..." Narcissa said as she started searching through her drawers until she found a flask that contained a lime green liquid.

"Essence of insanity?" Draco asked quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes." she confirmed briefly, pointing her wand at the flask and whispering something. The liquid slowly started losing its color and became water-like.

"Did you transform it into Veritaserum? What spell is that? Is that even possible?" Draco inquired, his look confused, as he stood up and looked closely at the flask.

"There is no time for explanation, this is still the essence of insanity it only looks like Veritaserum. Give it to Bellatrix, I'm sure she's going to use it on Rowle to interrogate him, when she does, cast an Imperuis spell on him. and you know what to do after that." Narcissa instructed her son as she cast spells on her drawers to close them and handed the flask to him.

"Don't give it to her until the hour is over so she won't suspect anything" she warned.

"But wouldn't this make him hysterical? Wouldn't she suspect anything? Can't you find me any other potion?" Draco asked.

"No, Essence Of Insanity is the only potion that you can manipulate its color. And people are usually hysterical when they're forced to drink Veritaserum. If you cast the curse fast enough, she won't notice." Narcissa informed

"Fine, I'll go to my room now." Draco replied, a content smile playing on his face, now that his dilemma has been sorted out. Narcissa opened her mouth to say something but decided against it.

* * *

><p>Hermione put her book on the table near her. She woke up to find herself alone in the room, some breakfast lied on the table beside her, next to it was a pile of books and a note from Malfoy.<p>

"**Keep yourself busy. Do _not_ try to leave the room. I'll be back soon.**  
><strong>Draco<strong>"

The brief note held an authoritarian tone, even on paper he could be insufferable, Hermione thought. But at least he was thoughtful enough to leave her some books. She could see some more books on the shelves across the room, she wished she could move or at least had a wand to bring some more books now that she had read Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland for a second time. When Malfoy was back she would demand a wand, maybe then she could heal her own leg instead of numbing the pain with potions. The door opened and the subject of her latest thought walked in.

"How is your leg?" he asked.

"Mine is fine, what happened to yours?" she asked as she noticed him limping.

"Nothing serious." he replied briefly as he opened his potions box and took out a flask.

"Are you planning on telling me what's happening anytime soon? Where is Harry? Is he okay? What happened to you? When will I be able to get out of here?" Hermione burst into questions as Draco stood next to her bed.

"For the love of Merlin, Granger can't you keep quiet for a couple of minutes? I have a lot of things on my mind and answering all those questions will take a lot of time, something I don't have right now." Draco sighed in exasperation as he took Hermione's hand and poured drops of the potion on the cuts.

Hermione flinched as the liquid stung her hand. But this time, the wounds started fading away, by the time he was finished her hands looked and felt as if they've never been cut.

"Thank you." she mumbled. "But what about my leg? We can't keep using pain relief potions." she remarked.

"No, we can't. There is a spell, Brackium Emendo, but it's a difficult one and I can't risk using it yet." he admitted.

"Maybe you should try." Hermione urged.

"Try a spell I haven't fully mastered, on you? Don't you have the least sense of self preservation, Granger? Haven't you learnt anything from that fool Lockhart in our second year? Do you want to end up the way Potter did?" he frowned at her incredulously.

"Well, maybe if you get me a wand I can try it myself." She said, lifting her chin up.

"Because you're more skilled than me?" He scoffed.

"This is not what I'm saying, you should stop twisting my words. What I'm trying to say is, I need a wand, I'm not comfortable with being dependent on you." Hermione explained exasperatedly.

"I'm not enjoying your invalidity, either. I'm just waiting for the right time, when I know for sure that I can cast the spell properly. I've been practicing it ever since I brought you here and it might come as a surprise for you that I'm actually getting better at it, just give me a day or two." His voice came out strained.

_He had been practicing a spell for you_! The timid voice in Hermione's head exclaimed. _He had been practicing a spell so I don't burden him anymore_, she corrected herself quickly.

"Just for the record, it did not come as a surprise to me, Draco..." Hermione paused abruptly at the name that came out of her mouth before she could stop it.

Draco's hand faltered as he heard his name, he had known Hermione for over six years now and not once had he heard her use his first name, neither had he used hers. It didn't sound repulsive or even odd; it sounded familiar to him and he found himself wanting to hear it again. For once, somebody was saying his name with a tone that wasn't authoritarian, contemptuous or downright worried. His hand tightened around the flask he held before putting it on the desk and turning to face Hermione.

"When have I become Draco?" He raised an eyebrow, the left corner of his mouth tilting downwards.

"Let's not stray away from the point, Malfoy. I need a wand." Hermione ordered, she could feel her cheeks growing hot.

"So, I'm Malfoy again now? You're becoming very confusing, Granger." He smirked at her, his eyes glittering in victory as he saw color flood her cheeks.

"Again, I need a wand." Hermione struggled to control the anger in her voice, she would _not_ let him think he could provoke her, she decided.

"I'll be down in less than an hour. I'll try to fetch you a spare wand, then." He said finally, looking away from her and grabbing his own wand.

Hermione watched wide eyed as he rolled up the leg of his trousers, she let out an audible gasp at what he called 'nothing serious'. This was everything serious, she thought, the wound looked grave and it was bleeding, looking at the floor she now noticed that it had left a trail of blood allover the room.

"Vulnera Sanentur" he muttered and Hermione looked in fascination at his leg as the blood started to fade and the wound healed gradually.


	7. On An Impulse

After what seemed like an eternity, Bellatrix's interrogation was finally over. Draco could feel every inch of his body sigh in relief as his aunt finally announced Rowle responsible for Hermione Granger's escape. He didn't know what was waiting ahead for the man and he couldn't care less. He had spent quite a while trying to find a suitable wand for Hermione, there was a box full of them, some of the Malfoys' old wands, some were won from other witches and wizards, and he had to recall every piece of information he knew about wands, to decide what would work for her.

"Walnut, dragon heartstring, 10 inches, there were lots of wands but I think this one suits you best." Draco said, handing over the wand to Hermione carefully. "Try it." He dictated.

Hermione reached for the wand with equal care, she was used to dragon heartstring, it was the core of her wand which she had no idea where it was by now. It was the Walnut that was new to her. She could feel the wand slightly vibrate in her hand.  
>"Who did it belong to?" She asked.<p>

"I don't remember, but it belongs to me now." Draco replied.

"Wingardium Leviosa" Hermione declared pointing her wand at the bookshelf across the room. The books instantly shot up hitting the ceiling before falling loudly on the floor.  
>"Alright, so it might be a bit too powerful." She admitted.<p>

"No, it itsn't, I'm sure it suits you. Not like your original wand , of course, but it suits you. Maybe it just doesn't recognize you as a master yet." Draco insisted. He went to his desk, fetching something from the drawer and turned around holding a slightly longer jet-black wand. He took the wand that was in Hermione's hand and replaced it with the black one. "Disarm me." He ordered.

"You know, Malfoy, two days ago if somebody had told me I would hear you say that I would've declared them mental." Hermione mused.

"Trust me, it's mutual. Now do it." He once again ordered.

"Will you ever stop giving me orders?" She frowned at him.

"Will you ever just do as you're told?" Draco sighed, his shoulders falling down exasperatedly. "No, ignore that." He ordered again as she opened her mouth to reply. "I already know the answer." he added.

"If I could use this wand.." Hermione said looking at the black wand in her hand "to disarm you of yours, then why don't I use this one from the beginning?" She asked curiously.

"Because it wouldn't suit you, ebony, koralle core. It's very...mediocre." He explained. "Now disarm me...please." He added desperately.

It's very mediocre and you're not. The voice in Hermione's head chimed before she violently dismissed it.

"No." she refused.

"Fine, enjoy your wand-less stay, Granger." Draco sneered, turning his back to her and making his way to the door.

"Expelliarmus!" Hermione declared loudly and the wand flew from Draco's hand to hers. Taken aback by the sudden action, he almost tripped and fell. Turning to Hermione, he glared at her. She couldn't help but grin at him.  
>"It's of no good if I disarm you per your request; I have to do it for real. You can't fool a wand, Malfoy." She informed.<p>

"I was right, it does suit you." he acknowledged, a hint of pride lacing his voice.

"I think I'm ready to heal your legs." He finally said, his tone back to normal.  
>"Maybe you should let me try it." Hermione offered.<br>"Have you ever tried using this spell?" He asked.  
>"No, but I.." She started to say before he interrupted her. "Then you can't do it." He insisted with a finality.<br>"Scared, Granger?" he raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms across his chest, holding his own wand now.

"No." She lied. She was frightened at the fact of letting Malfoy cast a spell of any sorts on her. Maybe she was forced to do so when she didn't have a wand, but not anymore. But what were her alternatives? How dare she practice a spell for the first time on her own self? Hermione almost let out a desperate whimper at the helplessness she was feeling.

"Granger, do you hear me?" Draco asked, looking puzzled as he sat at the edge of her bed. She was lying, he could tell. Hermione Granger was scared of him, or at least scared of allowing him any level of trust. And can you blame her? he thought. This was not just the matter of a healing spell, he needed her overall trust if his plan was going to work, and he needed to go out of his way to achieve that.

"Look, Gran..." he paused to exhale sharply "Hermione, I don't intend on doing anything but heal your legs. If I had any other intentions I wouldn't have waited until you had a wand; I wouldn't have brought you one in the first place." he tried to reason with her.  
>"Saying it, is pointless, but you have to trust me with this, I think I've done more than enough to show good faith on more than one occasion." he reminded her.<p>

"Alright." Hermione wanted to say more, to threaten him that if he messed this up she would make him pay, but she couldn't; he sounded sincere. And...did he just call her Hermione? Was it a slip of the tongue like her earlier one? Was he trying to get back at her for calling him Draco earlier? Was he mad that she did? Or did he think using her first name would be more persuasive? Because it was.

"Stop worrying, trust me." he urged, almost sympathetically.

"Brackium Emendo" Draco said clearly. This was not time for nonverbal spells, he decided.

Hermione could feel her leg go from flaming hot to icy cold in less than a minute. The pain was intolerable and she fell back to the bed, her body trembling in pain. Closing her eyes, she went into a semiconscious trance. She opened her eyes to find herself braced over Draco's chest. He looked down at her, hesitated for a while then pushed her back gently to the bed.

"For a second, I thought the spell went wrong." Draco admitted. He had spent some terrifying minutes that felt like hours, his mind was crowded with all the horrible scenarios that might happen, all the consequences he would have had to face if the spell had failed. He wouldn't only harm Hermione when he least wanted to but his failure threatened his whole plan. If he failed at casting the spell properly after he had spent so much effort on convincing her to trust him, he would've lost any chance he had at earning her trust. He had decided to place all his stakes on his faith that he'd be able to make her trust him, had he failed to do so, where would that leave his plan?

"I think it went well." Hermione whispered. She could see a bead of sweat had formed on his forehead and she raised her hand impulsively to wipe it off. Sliding her thumb slowly across his forehead, she eased off the cold drop of sweat.

Draco froze at the unexpected gesture, his eyes widened and his breath caught in his chest. What was she doing!


	8. Mutual Mistrust

Hermione jumped off the bed, the situation she had created was too awkward and she had to defuse it. Walking again for the first time in what seemed like ages proved to be difficult. Her legs felt heavy and she swayed in a funny way, and she tripped over her own feet.

"It feels like I'm learning how to walk allover again." Hermione thought out loud.

Draco who was still sitting on the bed, his pupils dilated, looked at her for a minute before shaking his head slightly and standing up.  
>"Try to keep the clumsiness to a minimum, then." he said hoarsely before leaving the room without another word.<p>

Draco maneuvered his way through what used to be his home and had become a graveyard haunted by death eaters. He finally made it to the library room with the least possible amount of communication with the men that were scattered allover the Manor. Closing the door with a wave of his wand, he sat down on the first arm chair he found. Tough days were waiting for him and a single mistake could bring everything crumbling down. His thoughts kept straying back to Hermione's unexpected gesture. He had wanted to ask her why she did it, wanted to warn her not to touch him again, but he didn't. He was too confused by her action...and he wasn't even sure if he didn't want her to touch him again.

He had to remove her from the manor as soon as possible. While he secretly congratulated himself on coming up with the brilliant idea of hiding her in the one place they would never look at, he knew she can't be kept under their noses for long. His aunt had started noticing he spent more time in his room than usual and she keeps urging him to go on a search for the the runaway girl. If he postpones Bellatrix's request anymore she might start having suspicions; something he couldn't afford.

He sat there for hours, thinking, assessing his choices, the ones he made and the ones that were made for him. When sleep finally found its way to his eyes he stood up to go back to his room then decided against it. Sleeping on a chair seemed more comfortable than sleeping with Hermione Granger in the same room again.

Hermione woke up in the middle of the night, the room was eerily silent and she couldn't sleep. Looking around, she realized she's all alone, Draco hadn't come back at all. He was probably disgusted by what she did earlier, Hermione had berated herself enough because of her stupid gesture. It was nothing serious, she decided finally, I am a naturally sympathetic person, that's all. A naturally sympathetic person that needed a shower! Hermione got off the bed and headed to the adjoining bathroom. She was shocked at the reflection that looked back at her from the mirror. Her hair desperately needed a brush, her face looked pale and almost yellow, her neck was dark in color and so were her legs and arms. Nothing a shower couldn't fix, she thought.

Stepping into the bathtub she reveled in the sensation of having war water wash over her, she moved her legs almost childishly. It was incredible how people took so many things for granted. Being deprived of her independence for the past couple of days made her appreciate it even more.  
>She waved her wand and a brush floated in the air until it rested in her hand. As she brushed her hair, she couldn't believe she let Draco Malfoy, her childhood bully and one of her worst enemies see her looking like that. But he wasn't an enemy anymore, was he? He had done everything to prove he wasn't but what if all of this was an act? She needed to make sure, her mind had been going through the different ways she could possibly use to make sure Malfoy was not setting her up and they all came down to Veritaserum. But how could she convince him? That, she had to figure out. Hermione closed her eyes and dozed off, waking up hours later at the sound of a persistent knock on the bathroom door.<p>

"Yes!" She yelled.

"What have you been doing in there all this time, Granger? Why weren't you answering me?" Draco's voice inquired from the other side of the door.

"Just a minute." She said before stepping out of the bathtub, washing her body hastily then drying it off. She waved her wand sweiftly over her clothes, cleaning them then put them on as fast as she can before opening the door.

"I'm sorry, I must have fallen asleep." She apologized, putting her wand on the bedside table before sitting on the chair facing the dresser and brushing the rest of her hair.

"You fell asleep...in the shower?" Draco's brows furrowed in bewilderment.

"It was a very comfortable one." Hermione remarked at Draco's reflection in the mirror, lifting her chin up in defiance before directing her focus back to her hair.

Draco who was supposed to be reading the book in his hand, hadn't flipped the page once since he opened it. He had been watching Hermione from beneath hooded eyes, her hands were moving rhythmically over her hair, braiding it. He could see her moving her eyes from his reflection to hers, she wanted to say something, he could tell.

"What is it, Granger?" He finally asked.

"So, I'm Granger again now? You're becoming very confusing, Malfoy." Hermione provoked. Her eyes lighting up at the fact that she got to throw his words right back at him.

Draco chuckled at the cheeky response before putting down the book and resting his arm at the back of the sofa he was sitting on. "What is it?" he repeated. "You have something to say, say it." he added

Draco Malfoy was capable of actually smiling! Hermione mused, she tried to remember if she ever saw him chuckle the way he did minutes ago, or smile at anybody and she realized he never did, not even with his Slytherin friends..not in front of her anyway. Malfoy was capable of smirking, leering and maybe snickering but smiling was not something she thought he was able to do. It was a pleasant sight. Hermione mentally slapped herself at the sound of her last thought. Bellatrix's torture had apparently affected her mind!

"How I can I be sure you're trustworthy, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, her voice clear as she turned to look directly into his eyes.

"What do you mean?" He looked puzzled, his eyes narrowing at her.

"I've been thinking for quite a while now, and I think there's only one way that I could be sure I can trust you." Hermione explained.

"And what would that be?" Draco asked tilting his head to one side.

"Veritaserum." She finally answered after a long pause.

Draco opened his mouth to argue but he paused to think about it. So what if he did drink the potion? He wasn't lying to her and he shouldn't be afraid. But it wasn't that he was afraid of; he was afraid she'd go too far, abuse the situation to ask too many questions. One he wasn't willing to answer.

"Alright." He agreed quietly and hardly suppressed a smile as her mouth fell open and her eyes widened. "But how do **I** know I can trust you?" He challenged.

"What do you mean?" Hermione looked puzzled.

"How do I know you won't take it too far? Ask irrelevant questions? Ask about things that I don't want you to know?" He inquired

"I won't. I'm only interested in making sure you're not lying to me. But you're right, there's no way I can prove this. You'll just have to trust me. I trusted you before and now it's your turn." Hermione persuaded her eyes never leaving his.

Draco held Hermione's gaze for a long moment before standing up and summoning his potion box with a wave of his wand. As he opened the box, two similar flasks lied next to each other, one of them was half empty, it contained the rest of the fake Veritaserum he gave his aunt earlier, and the other was full of Veritaserum, the real potion. His hand moved unsteadily from one flask to another as he mulled over his choices. He could use the fake potion, she wouldn't know, he could fool her. Finally, he picked one of the two flasks, closed the box and turned to face Hermione.


	9. Unanswered Questions

Hermione couldn't believe Malfoy agreed so easily to drink the potion, she almost thought he was playing at something but when he turned and handed her a flask filled with a familiar transparent liquid, she realized how desperate he was. Malfoy was -just like the rest of them- trying so hard to protect the people he loved. She opened the flask, smelled it, scrutinized it then closed it again.

"Give me the flask." he ordered as he sat on the chair next to her bed.

"Right now?" Hermione frowned. "Yes, let's get this over with, we don't have time." he said, "The antidote is in my left pocket, just in case." he added with a subtle warning

Walking in little steps she handed him the flask, he opened it, tilted his head back and let a couple of drops run down his throat. He closed his eyes for too long she almost thought something was wrong with him, but then he opened them and looked directly at her. Nothing seemed different about him, only his eyes shone brighter than usual.

Hermione wasn't sure how she could handle the situation, she had never interrogated somebody before, so she gathered her wits and tried hard to find her voice, she could do this.

"How long have you been a death eater?" she asked finally

"A year, more or less." Draco replied

"Why?"

"It seemed very tempting at the time."

"And it's not..tempting anymore?"

"Definitely not."

"Then why didn't you...stop?"

"There's no such thing. You can never stop being a death eater; it stays with you forever." he brooded

"I meant...haven't you ever thought of switching sides?"

Draco remained silent for a while, an agonized look passed over his face before answering "All the time."

"Then why didn't you act upon it?"

"I tried, more than once. It's not as easy as it seems from your side."

"What do you mean, from my side?"

"I mean things are easier for you, aren't they, Granger? All the right choices came to you on a silver platter." Malfoy sneered

"And you didn't make your own choices?"

"Not most of them, but I sure made some on my own."

A question popped to Hermione's mind and before she could stop it, it came out. "Why didn't you kill Dumbledore when you had the chance to?"

"Couldn't." the word came out as a low tremble.

"You didn't know how to use the spell?" Hermione pushed further

"I...I had the skill...but..not the willingness." Draco stammered, the agonized look back on his face again, stronger this time.

Hermione sensed she was straying off the point, she could see Malfoy fidgeting in his chair, struggling with words he obviously hated to say. She was so tempted to push him a bit more, ask why he didn't do it, but she had already promised not to delve in too deep, he asked her to trust him once and he didn't disappoint her-to her utter surprise- she had to do the same now.

"You said you wanted to help the order, were you lying to me when you said that?"

"No." a more comfortable Malfoy replied now.

"You said you wanted a safe place for your mother in return, is there anything else you left unsaid? Did you lie about that too?"

"No and no. I said what I wanted in return and I don't want anything else."

"Where does your loyalty lie, Malfoy?"

"My family."

"How could that be when your father is a death eater and your mother apparently wants nothing to do with this war? That's almost impossible."

"Almost, I'm trying to do the impossible now."

"Aren't you loyal to.." Hermione paused, this one was tricky, if she doesn't use the right name he might find a loophole in her question, her most important question. "Aren't you loyal to the dark lord anymore?"

"_No!_" Malfoy seethed.

That was enough, Hermione thought. She knew what she needed to know and this interrogation had been uncomfortable to her as much as it was to him, she wanted it over. Part of her hated that potion, the thought of having all your thoughts and feeling easily exposed to anybody who simply asked the right questions was terrifying; it stripped you of any privacy, any protective layer you might have formed. Even torturing someone to get information out of them, left them with a choice, she thought grimly.  
>But one last question had been playing in the back of her mind ever since this interrogation started, one she desperately needed to ask, she had that question for years and there was her chance at getting it answered, how could she miss it?<p>

"One last question, Malfoy." Hermione finally said, unable to fight the temptation. He raised an eyebrow at her, tilting his head to one side.

"You used to give me bloody hellish time at Hogwarts, why do you hate me so much?" her question came out with a sigh.

Malfoy closed his eyes, pursued his lips tightly and bent his head down, shuddering greatly. He stood up, panting heavily, his eyes were teary and he let out a loud groan before falling to the floor.

Hermione panicked at the sight, she remembered the antidote and crouched next to Malfoy's writhing body, frantically searching his pockets for the antidote, she finally found the tiny flask. She struggled to place his head on her lap, forcing his mouth open she dropped some of the liquid then closed the flask. Malfoy's face turned blue, he pushed himself off the floor, coughing and spluttering loudly for a long while before his breathing finally went back to normal.

Kneeling on the floor, one hand on his knee the other on the floor supporting his weight, Draco raised his head slightly, his eyes were flaming, reflecting the light that came from the near lamp, he glared at Hermione furiously "You said..I could trust you." he thundered

"I didn't mean any harm!" Hermione defended herself, taken aback by the tone of his voice "I thought it was a relevant question." she lied.

"And how is that?" he demanded

"I thought you'd say you hate me because I was...because of my blood status, it seemed very obvious to me and I thought that was an important question. If you still held the same elitist views I think you do, then I can't really trust you one hundred percent." Hermione explained, lifting her chin up.

"You're lying through your teeth, Granger." Draco accused, his face impassive once again but the cold fury in his voice said that he wasn't as impassive as he pretended to be.

Hermione started to say something but he cut her off "Have you gotten the answers you wanted?" He asked

"Yes, but you must know tha.."

"It doesn't matter, Granger. We leave tomorrow at dusk. Can you fly on a broomstick?" He asked, his tone now back to normal.

"Of course I can." Hermione gulped at the thought, she hated flying, it wasn't her strength point at all.

Draco turned to look at her over his shoulder for a minute before turning fully to look at her, "_Can you fly on a broomstick, Granger?_" he repeated his question, stressing his words this time.

"Yes!" Hermione answered in frustration.

"How do you expect to have any chances at survival when you're such a horrible liar?" Draco grimaced at her.

"Well, some of us don't need to have the morals of an alley cat in order to survive." Hermione yelled at him.

Draco paused for a second, looking at her; the words apparently hit home. "Those must be the lucky few, then." he mocked

"I'll rephrase my question. Are you good at flying a broomstick?"

"It's not exactly my strength point but I can fly if I had to. Can't we just apparate?" Hermione asked desperately.

"I can, you can't. No witch or wizard can apparate to or from the Malfoy Manor except a Malfoy_" he informed "_and I'll take it that you can't fly a broomstick properly, you'll have to ride with me." he added with a frown.

"That's ridiculous, of course I can fly on my own." Hermione argued, appalled at the idea of having to share a broomstick with Malfoy.

"It's not my dream come true either. But unless you're very skilled with flying I can't trust you with flying on your own, I'm not sure about the weather and we'll have to fly on a great height to avoid being seen. I can't afford having you falling and breaking your neck; because honestly, Granger, after that stunt you pulled earlier, I don't think I'd be tempted to go back for you if you fall for your death." Draco taunted.

"I told you I didn't mean any harm!" Hermione insisted.

"And I told you it doesn't matter. Get some sleep, you'll need it." he ordered.

Draco bent down, picking up the two flasks that fell to the floor, he summoned his potion box and placed the flasks carefully, looking at the similar flasks, now back again next to each other, part of him wished he had picked the half empty one. He had never drank Veritaserum before and he never wanted to repeat that experience.

His own words sounded like somebody else's, as if his tongue had a mind of its own. And the worst part was when he tried to stop it, to lie. His head burnt as if he had immersed it in flames and his jaw hurt from struggling to keep his mouth shut. Hermione's question took him by surprise he almost answered immediately, but he was relieved he was able to hold it in. And although he felt like strangling her for breaking her promise, he felt eternally grateful that she was quick at giving him the antidote, maybe she really didn't mean any harm after all.

This time Draco didn't try to leave the room, he knew he was going to end up waking up in the middle of the night and going back anyway. He headed to the shower hoping that by the time he was done, she would be already asleep.


	10. An Unexpected Visitor

The day couldn't have passed fast enough for Hermione, she was counting the hours till dusk. Malfoy was nowhere to be seen all day long. Last night she waited for him to come out of the bathroom; she wanted to apologize for asking that question. For the first time Hermione had done something she wasn't proud of, she mused at the turn the events had taken.

Never had she thought that someday she will feel obliged to apologize to...out of all people, Draco Malfoy! But he spent so long in the bathroom, apparently he was avoiding seeing her, she finally fell asleep and she couldn't tell whether he slept in the room or not; when she woke up he wasn't there, neither was a note from him.

She paced the floor, trying not to worry so much about what was coming ahead. Her mind kept thinking of all the horrible things that could happen if they got caught. And it didn't help that Malfoy had disappeared. Had they found out about him? Did he have second thoughts about helping her and decided to hand her over to Voldemort instead? Was he even still alive! Hermione couldn't bear thinking about it anymore, the more time she spent thinking, the darker her thoughts became. So she went to her last resort; books. And for the first time, even reading couldn't distract Hermione. When the evening came, Malfoy finally appeared, holding dinner on a silver tray. He placed the tray silently on a nearby table and turned to walk out of the room.

"Draco Malfoy you stand right there and talk to me!" Hermione ordered loudly, the strain of the past days finally catching up with her, she had enough of being ignored and imprisoned in this room like some sort of pet. She had every right to know what was happening around her.

Draco looked at Hermione in amusement, she looked...frantic. Her hair wasn't tied this time, it was cascading down her back, disorderly, giving her an air of fragility. Shorter than it used to be, he noted. And it annoyed him that he actually noticed such a trivial detail about her. She kept running her hand through her hair nervously while pacing the room, taking deep breaths. He was still trying to figure out what was bothering her so much but he couldn't tell. Was she nervous about leaving?

"Stop it, Granger!" he ordered "What is wrong with you? You look like a frightened deer!" he frowned at her.

"Everything is wrong, how could you not see that? How juvenile could you be, Malfoy? I understand that you're mad because of that stupid question, you made it very clear. And I said I didn't mean to...I even tried to apologize but you insist on avoiding me." Hermione snapped at him  
>"But all this doesn't matter, it shouldn't have anything to do with the fact that we're leaving a house full of death eaters in a few hours and instead of staying around to explain what our plan is -because it happens to be that you're the one with enough information in this situation- you just chose to pretend I don't exist." her face turned a light shade of red as she glared at him.<p>

"If this situation was reversed, I would have had the decency to at least let you know what I was up to." she added finally.

Draco, who was leaning on the door, patiently listening to Hermione as she yelled her heart out, paused to think about what she just said before finally speaking.

"I understand that my absence in such a...sensitive time might have been misinterpreted on your side." he spoke

_If he kept talking like a politician I swear I'm going to hex him to death_, Hermione swore silently.

"But it's not what you think, I wasn't out trying to avoid you...well partially. But mainly it was because my aunt needed me, and there were some things I had to take care of before we left." he explained. "And yes, I think you should know what's going on but that's a long story. I'm supposed to be searching for you. My aunt assigned me this mission, normally, a single person shouldn't be on a search on his own, but Bellatrix had grown very suspicious lately, she can't trust anybody else and she's afraid if she let any of the other death eaters out of her sight they would run and report your escape to the Dark Lord."

"But it's great that I'm doing this on my own, it gives me more time to stay away from home, which means more time to spend on convincing the Order that I'm actually trying to help, because we both know this is going to take some time." he added after a thoughtful pause.

"I'll do my best to convince them, I think they would listen to me."Hermione promised

"That's not what I'm worried about." Draco replied

"What are you worried about, then?" Hermione asked

"I'm worried about them not trusting your words. They might think I'm threatening you with something, maybe even have you under a spell. They would expect the worst out of me, and you can't blame them." he brooded.

"Leave that to me, I know them well enough to convince them." she insisted "But Malfoy, if you weren't up to this trust, if you betrayed us, I swear I'll be the one to kill you." she threatened, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Well then that would be much better than most of the deaths I had thought of." he smirked at her.

He moved to a cupboard at the corner of the room, opened it and took out a broomstick out of it. His eyes gleamed proudly as he held the broom in his hand. Hermione rolled her eyes at him, she had seen that look on Harry's face before, but she would never understand the peculiar affection boys seemed to have towards their broomsticks!

"Firebolt, highest speed, superb balance and great stability, it's perfect." Draco explained proudly.

_Did he just puff his chest_? Hermione mused.

"How is the wand treating you?" He asked suddenly as if he just remembered the question.

"It's very obedient actually, sometimes it's too powerful but all in all, I think it's fine." Hermione answered, feeling eternally grateful for the fact that she had a wand once again, living without magic for two days made her appreciate it a lot more.

Draco was about to say something when they heard a knock at the door, Hermione hid in the far corner of the room, it was probably one of the house elves. Draco opened the door slightly and the figure that walked through the door definitely didn't belong to a house elf; it belonged to a very familiar witch.


	11. The Other Malfoy Manor

Narcissa Malfoy slightly brushed her son's shoulder as she walked through the door, closing it behind her. Her eyes scanned the room before resting on Hermione.

"Ms. Granger, I hope you found your stay rather...convenient." Naracissa greeted nonchalantly.  
>Hermione's mouth fell open and she glanced at Malfoy, he was just standing there impassively, and then it dawned on her, Narcissa Malfoy knew she was there, all along.<p>

"You...you knew I was here?" Hermione whispered in a barely audible voice.

"If that's how you usually speak then I have no idea how anybody ever understands what you're saying." the older witch remarked, raising her hand to slightly touch her collarbones with the tips of her fingers.

Clearing her throat, Hermione repeated, louder this time. "You knew I was here all along?"

"This is my house. If I don't know who stays in it, what sort of woman does that make me?" Narcissa statedmatter-of-factly, turning to face her son before Hermione got any chance to ask further questions.

_ Narcissa Malfoy had a fictitious air of frigidness about her_, Hermione thought. Immaculately displayed, but unreal.

"I would have sent one of the house elves but they're all too busy, Bella had them searching for Travers's wand. That idiot already lost it two times before!" Narcissa ranted "Anyhow, we need to talk, I'll be in my chamber." she left the room without a backward glance.

"I didn't know your mother knew I was here." Hermione said

"That much is obvious_" Draco stated "_but what difference does it make?" he asked.

"You never told me." she replied "You never asked, and it doesn't matter. I have to go." and with that, he walked out of the room, leaving Hermione alone...again.

After what seemed like hours he finally returned.

"What took you so long?" Hermione demanded.

"Long? It has hardly been an hour!" he looked at her incredulously.

She frowned..had it really been such a short while?

"That wand you gave me, is this the wand they're looking for?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Of course not, have you fell and hit your head while I was away?" Draco scoffed.

Hermione wanted to say something back, but the last thing she felt like was fighting, she felt so drained, the anxiety was consuming her and her inability to suppress her dark thoughts frustrated her. She just wanted someone to tell her it was going to be fine, she missed her mother like never before. Looking out the window, she had contradicting feelings, she dreaded the dusk, but she couldn't wait for it to come.

She heard Malfoy move but she didn't turn around to look, then he was standing next to her, his arm slightly brushing hers.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, looking out the window rather than at her.

"I'm worried sick, that's what's wrong." she replied, her tone sounded too aggressive to her own ears.

"Well, it would be foolish if you're not, but I think everything is going to be alright. I've planned for this carefully." he assured.

"Every plan is prone to unplanned events." she countered.

"Mine is not." he contradicted arrogantly. Hermione was so tempted to slap all the haughtiness out of him but she decided against it.

"Where are we going to go?" she asked "Isle of Wight." he informed, and Hermione recognized the place, she had never been there, though.

"Why are we going there?"

"I have a safe place there which we'll stay at. I have no idea where Potter or any of your...friends are. And I don't think you have any idea, either. You'll try to owl them from there and if that fails we'll have to start looking for them ourselves. But I don't think we will have to do that, there must be at least one of them that the owls could reach." he explained grimly and she could tell he wasn't sure of his last statement.

Hermione sat on the bed idly, fighting off a panic attack as Malfoy left the room to check where everybody was. He came back saying everybody was either asleep or busy. He took out his broomstick and a childish grin lit up his face as he held it out. She gaped at him.

"Why are you grinning?" she frowned at him.

"It had been so long since I flew" he explained. Hermione shot him an incredulous look in return.

The broomstick was hovering next to Malfoy and he mounted it gracefully before looking back at Hermione who just stood there beside him, not willing to move. He gave her an impatient look before tugging at her hand.

"Come on!" he urged.  
>Hermione didn't like this, she didn't like it one tiny bit. She had to use Malfoy's shoulders for balance, keeping contact to the minimum proved to be hard when they were sharing a broomstick, she decided grimly. He turned his head to look back at her, a disbelieving look on his face.<p>

"Really?" he asked.

"What?" she frowned at him.

"You'll fall off before I even make it through the window, do you even realize how hard it is to fly _through_ a window?"

"No, obviously not." she replied indignantly

"Hold tight Granger, because I swear if you fall off.."

"You won't even look back at me,_ I know! _You've made it clear more than once." Hermione interrupted him irritably. Clutching his shoulders, she pushed him forward forcefully on purpose, "Let's go." she ordered. He turned around to glare at her and started to say something but abruptly looked forward instead.

Hermione closed her eyes and tried not to think about her surroundings, she didn't like heights, never felt comfortable flying, she didn't like Malfoy or feel comfortable around him either. When she opened her eyes, there was no difference; she could hardly see anything, it was so dark and foggy.

"How can you see?" she asked in bewilderment.

"I've flown here so many times; I've memorized the place by heart now." he explained.

Looking back, she realized the Manor was out of sight, now more comfortable, she sighed with relief. The hard part was over, now they only needed to stay alive until the reached their destination. Hermione distracted herself by looking at the landscape beneath her, they were flying on a lower height now and she could see the land clearly. It wasn't long before Malfoy finally spoke

"We're almost there, this is the Isle of Wight." he turned around a little to talk to her, pointing at a small island.

It looked quiet, few houses and buildings were gathered at the center of the island, she could see a port as well, but as they flew forward, buildings decreased until nothing was in sight except the green landscape, then she saw it. At the end of the island was a cliff, on top of it lied a mansion, notably smaller than the Malfoy Manor but nevertheless equally prestigious, only this one had a less...sinister air about it.

"We're here." Malfoy announced as they gradually descended, when Hermione's legs finally touched the ground she finally felt safe for the first time in days.

Hermione moved forward but then stopped suddenly, remembering something. "Is it protected?" she asked.

"Of course if is." he confirmed. One hand holding the broomstick, the other held up his wand "Partis Temporus" he spoke and a thin transparent gate appeared in front of them momentarily before crumbling like dust.

Walking through the door, Hermione gasped at her surroundings, the place looked beautiful. The walls were stark white with silver ornaments framing every wall. To her left was an oval glass dinning table surrounded with white black dinning chairs. And to the left was a fireplace with a sofa and some armchairs around it. There was a huge book case that covered the wall's length, next to it was a closed room, probably a study, Hermione guessed. At the far corner of the room there were black stairs and a narrow door beneath those stairs. There wasn't a single painting on any of the walls, she noticed.

She stood there absorbing the details of the place when she heard Malfoy move behind her "Welcome to Draco Malfoy's mansion." he greeted quietly.


	12. Branded

"This is yours?" Hermione asked incredelously

"It used to be my mother's...a wedding gift from my father, then she gave it to me." he explained distractedly, and before Hermione could reply he started talking again "There is food in the kitchen but there are obviously no house elves so I don't think a decent meal is possible, but.."

"Unlike you, Malfoy, I'm not a spoilt brat who is used to being served all the time, I can make my own dinner, thank you very much." she interrupted him derisively.

"You know, Granger, every time I decide to behave like an adult you give me a reason not to. Enjoy your so called dinner." he grimaced at her "I hope you choke on it." he sneered, before taking the stairs, two steps at a time.

Hermione didn't know what caused that, she didn't mean to snap at him when he -for once- didn't do anything that called for it. But it wasn't him, it was the stress of everything that's been happening, fully catching up with her. The stress she'd been trying so hard to block out because if she let it consume her she would just sit there and cry her heart out till there was no energy left in her body, but she would never do that.

Rolling up her sleeves, she started looking around the kitchen to see what was available, but when her arms were exposed she took a good look at the scar on her arm, she had hidden it well so far, even Malfoy hadn't known it existed. But it hurt so much, not just physically, looking at it reminded her of the pain Bellatrix had so happily inflicted on her, definitely an unforgivable curse, she thought grimly. But she didn't want to hide it anymore, she will not let a stupid scar mark who she was and she will not let it happen to anyone else. Maybe Malfoy was right about what he said before, this war did have something in it for her and she was going to fight for it till the last breath.

Shaking her head as if this would shake off the thoughts that had clouded it, she started opening cupboards to see what was there. After a long search she finally decided to make chicken salad. She missed Mrs. Weasly's cooking, and she wished she was as talented as her when it came to food charms, but truth was, they were never her strength point so she had to cook like she did at her own house. She seriously considered making only enough food for herself, but Malfoy didn't seem to be eating anything lately either, just like her.

They needed a truce, he had a point when he said they should act like adults about this. He wasn't trying hard enough to act like an adult, though, Hermione frowned. Or maybe that was what he would be like as an adult, still enjoying getting on her nerves but practicing more restraint. Will she ever get to see what Malfoy would be like when he's older? Where did that thought come from!  
>Taking the plates to the dinning room one by one, she looked around her to see where Malfoy was but he was nowhere to be seen. She opened her mouth to announce that dinner was ready but she didn't, it sounded too intimate in her head, and anyway she wasn't there to serve Malfoy, he can feed himself, or not, she couldn't care less.<p>

Draco stood looking through the window in the study room. He could hear her footsteps outside, the sound the plates made when they connected with the glass of the dinning table, the echo of cutlery as they dropped to the floor and the muffled swear that followed. He was able to see everything that was happening on the other side of the door just by listening to the sounds, and he hated it.

He wanted to block her out, that was why he had locked himself in that room instead of going to the kitchen and finding something to eat. Because if he went out there and saw her he would be so tempted to throw something at her. Who was she to judge him? What did she even know about him? She had such a nerve, insulting him for no reason after everything he'd done to keep her alive! Had she any idea of the great measures he had taken just to get her out of that place?

His mind traveled back to that night at the astronomy tower, he had been so tempted to take Dumbledore's offer. But he was glad he didn't, because now he knew that no matter what he did, they would never accept him. It didn't matter anymore, it didn't do well to dwell on the past. He was so hungry that he couldn't ignore it anymore and he will not let Hermione Granger limit his movements in his own house, he decided grimly.

"You have to be starving to eat all this by yourself, Granger." he remarked, his mouth twisting. Hermione who was surprised by his sudden entrance coughed and spluttered as she choked on a piece of toast.

"Told you you were going to choke on it." he smirked at her.

"Just so you would know, I didn't make all this for myself. I thought you might want some." she replied indignantly

"Going out of your way to prepare dinner for a spoilt brat who had been served his whole life, how very considerate of you Ms. Granger!" he mocked.

"I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry." she sighed

"Said what exactly? Oh yes, the part where I'm a spoilt brat. Yes, you definitely shouldn't have said that." cold fury laced his voice

"I apologized, alright? Can't you just be civil about it and accept the apology?"

"I could, but would that change the fact that you said it?"

"No, you're right, I shouldn't have even bothered with it. You obviously can't act like an adult even if your life depended on it." she provoked

"_Me_? You have such a nerve Granger! Accusing me of being juvenile when _you_ were the one who couldn't miss a chance to disparage me!"

Hermione looked at him long before finally looking back to her plate. Whether Malfoy was fuming because he too was finally dealing with the stress of the past days or because her words hit home and he knew they were real, she didn't want to know the reason; she just wanted him to stop.

"Malfoy, I don't want to argue anymore." she said quietly.

"That makes two of us." he conceded and pulled the opposite chair to sit down.

He reached to help himself to some salad when he stopped suddenly dropping the spoon from his hand. He caught a glimpse of her arm and the scar that marked it. Hermione followed where his gaze rested and she hardly held back from covering her arm protectively, she had nothing to be ashamed of, she decided with a lift of her chin. His gaze lingered on her arm before looking up at her.

"Bellatrix?" he asked and Hermione nodded faintly before looking back at her plate, unable to find her appetite anymore, she randomly played with her food.

"If you have anything to say just say it." she finally sighed, getting fed up with the awkward silence that was only interrupted by the noises made by cutlery.

"I have nothing to say; this isn't new to me. It's not the first time I've seen someone branded against their will." he replied impassively, and Hermione knew exactly who he was talking about.

Shortly after, Malfoy stood up holding his half finished plate and went to the kitchen and emerged from it empty handed.  
>"The bedrooms are upstairs, choose anyone_" he informed "_you'll find parchments and ink in the study, and the owls are in the attic." he added. "I strongly recommend you start writing to your friends tonight, their responses will take time and they might not respond at all, so the sooner we know, the better." he suggested.<p>

"Alright." she nodded "Goodnight." he said and with that, he left, not waiting for her to reply, and she didn't.

After clearing the plates, Hermione went to the study, it looked too organized that it couldn't have been used before and it smelled of Cedar and another familiar smell she couldn't identify.

After long hours of rephrasing her words and writing different versions of the same letter, all very similar but not quiet the same, she was finally done. She had four letters one for Harry, one for Mrs. Weasly, one for Lupin and one for Tonks. She left the study and climbed the stairs to the attic, attaching a letter to each of the owls, she watched them as they flew away. More than anything she wanted to get at least one reply from any of them, she didn't think she had any to go on a search for them, they could be anywhere and she didn't even know where to start.

The view was beautiful, Hermione thought, and the sea breeze was cool against her face, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, it was refreshing and Hermione sat down and decided to enjoy it for a while longer, until she fell asleep.


	13. Good Questions And Bad Ones

Hermione was dimly aware of something touching her arm, opening her eyes lazily, she saw the top of Malfoy's head. He was crouched on the floor next to her, one hand on his knee while the other was tracing the letters on her arm. She sat still, watching him curiously, wanting to know where he was going with this. How long had he been sitting there?  
>After a short while, he looked up at her and almost fell back when he saw her looking back at him. She started laughing uncontrollably at the scene and when he stood up glaring at her she only laughed more.<p>

"I would've said I'm glad you find the situation funny, but I'm not. Nothing you do makes me glad. What were you thinking sleeping here?"

"I wasn't thinking; I was trying not to." she chuckled

"When I said you could choose any room, the attic wasn't included." he frowned at her

"Who said I needed your opinion on where I could sleep?" she frowned back at him

"I thought you left." he admitted

"Why would I?" she asked, looking genuinely puzzled

"I don't know, but I could think of many reasons, one of them being the fact that you don't trust me any more than I trust you." he replied

Aggravated at the mention of that Veritaserum incident again, Hermione stood up to be at eye level with Malfoy "Listen, Malfoy. I've made myself _very_ clear concerning that bloody question so it's pointless that you keep bringing it up all the time. I'm not a prisoner anymore; we are equals in this house. If I wanted to leave I wouldn't have taken one step in here in the first place." she snapped at him" And you'd do well to remember that I have a wand now." she warned.

"Is that a threat, Granger?" he asked "Because if we duel I think we both know who's going to win." he added smugly

"If we duel we both lose, you git!" she fumed before storming out of the attic, making a loud noise as she descended the stairs.

Draco ran his hand through his hair in frustration, Hermione Granger was so determined on infuriating him in every possible way. And he wasn't very proud of himself either. When he woke up, it took him a while to realize that she wasn't in any of the rooms, neither was she downstairs. He rushed back to his room to make sure his broomstick was still there and it was, then he went outside but she was nowhere to be found. As a final desperate attempt he went to the attic and there she was!

The way she was sleeping on the floor so carelessly with one arm over her stomach while the other was spread next to her gave her an air of fragility that was uncommon about her. In the past few days he had caught several glimpses of that side of her and he didn't like the effect that was having on him. He preferred Granger to Hermione.

He never intended to pick up a fight with her this morning, but when she was laughing so blithely he felt the need to push her back into to a safe zone, back to Granger. _And you did it so well_! He congratulated himself broodingly.  
>He needed to make peace with her, if for nothing then at least for the sake of his own sanity.<p>

She was already having breakfast when he went down, but the quantities in the plates weren't for one person, he noted positively; this had to be a good sign. He sat down in front of her and she looked the other way. Still looking away, she reached idly for another piece of toast but before she could pick one, Draco dragged the plate away from her hand. Putting it in front of him, he chuckled at the way her hand seemed to hover aimlessly over the now empty space. Then she finally looked back at the table.

"Put that plate back where it was, Malfoy." she ordered

"I have no idea what you're talking about." he replied and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Leaning over the table, she reached for the plate but Draco caught her wrist. "I'm sorry, alright?" he apologized.

"Fine." Hermione said impatiently as she snatched her wrist from his grip.

"None of the owls came back." she said after a long silence

"It will take time." he replied nonchalantly

"I have a question." she said

"I don't like the sound of that." he pushed his plate aside.

"No, it's a good question, really." she assured

"Now I don't like it even more; you and I have very different views on what a good question is." he raised an eyebrow at her.

"If this place is so safe, then why don't you just hide your mother here?" she asked

"Your definition of a good question improved, obviously." he smirked "I can't hide my mother here because as I told you my father knows about this place, it is possible for him to find her."

"You want to hide her even from your father?" she asked

"Not really, I'll let him know where she is eventually. I'm not worried about my father; he loves her. I'm worried that he might find her here and I'm not sure how well he would be able to hide it and for how long." he explained "Plus, I don't want her to be in the wizarding world at all." he added

"You want to hide her in the Muggle world!" Hermione's mouth fell open

"Why do you sound so surprised?" he asked

"Because..it's very unpredictable and...I never thought your mother would want to have anything to do with Muggles." she answered, but regretted saying so instantly. Malfoy was frowning at her, looking offended by what she said.

"You know nothing about my mother except her name. That and -of course- the fact that she raised a spoilt brat." he smirked at her "But you'll find her very...adaptable." he added. Taking some of the plates that were on the table, he headed to the kitchen. Hermione took the rest of the plates and followed him to the kitchen.

"I didn't mean any offense." she mumbled. "None taken." he replied impassively.

"But, how do you expect her to live in the Muggle world on her own?" she asked.

"She won't be completely on her own. You're going to help her." he replied confidently

"Me? How?" she asked in surprise

"Your parents are Muggles and you live with them so you know their world well enough. You'll tell her what to do because I don't know anybody else who can. Let's say you'll be her...guide." he explained, choosing his words carefully so he won't offend her.

"But..I can't live with her!" Hermione almost shrieked.

Malfoy gave a loud laugh "Of course not! Neither of you would survive the other's company for more than an hour." he paused for a while as if imagining the situation "You won't live with her but you will tell her how to live as a Muggle." he explained.

"Maybe your parents can help?"he asked hesitantly.

"No, I'm afraid they can't." she replied distractedly.

"Why not?" he asked. "They're...away." she said, looking down.

"Yes but when they know you need their help I'm sure they'll come back from wherever they are." he inquired.

"But they won't know." she said.

"I think I'm missing something..." his brow furrowed.

"My parents don't know about me anymore...I modified their memories earlier this year. They're in Australia now." Hermione explained as concisely as possible

Malfoy's eyes widened in shock at what he just heard. "That was..." he paused to think of a proper word.

"Foolish?" she asked, half smiling.

"Brave actually...but foolish as well." he corrected.

"Also, there's something I think you're not fully understanding." he said after a brief silence

"What's that?" she asked.

"I don't want to just hide my mother; I want people to think she's dead." he said quietly.

"Do you have any idea how hard that would be?" Hermione asked, gaping at him.

"Yes, that's why I couldn't do it all by myself." he confirmed.

The conversation seemed to die suddenly and Hermione excused herself saying she was going to have a shower. After a long relaxing shower, she started thinking about the new information Malfoy just gave her. He had obviously planned this well, but the thought of hiding Narcissa Malfoy in the Muggle world seemed impossible for her to accept. Narcissa was prejudiced against Muggles and Muggle-borns, and to think that she could live among them and keep her sanity was just bollocks.

Hermione went downstairs but Malfoy wasn't there and when it was lunchtime they chatted randomly, both of them doing an extra effort to pick neutral topics that had the least possibility of starting a new fight. It was only when Malfoy went to his room for a shower that she realized his room was right next to the one she had chosen and she instantly wished she had picked another one.

Another question ran around Hermione's mind restlessly and after fighting the urge to ask, she finally gave up. She went downstairs and he was sitting by the fireplace reading a book. He looked up at her when she sat at the opposite end of the sofa, waiting for her to say why she was here.

"I have another question." she said hesitantly.

"It's usually a bad sign when you have to say that instead of directly asking, but ask anyway." he remarked.

"Now that I know what your plan for your mother is, I can see I'm more involved in it than I initially thought." she said, looking down at her hands. "So...I'm really curious, if you had a different plan, one that didn't depend on or involve me, would you still have saved me that day at the Manor?" she finally asked, looking up at him

_Yes_, Draco thought. "I don't know, probably not." he said, looking back at his book, grimacing when he heard her say "I thought so". At least he didn't disappoint her. She stood up to leave when they heard a great thud coming from outside, followed by a loud shriek. Each of them grabbing his wand, they went to inspect the source of the noise.


	14. A Safety Valve

A/N: Dear **ForensicGeek2**, for the love of good, woman, contact me on any of the links in my profile, the curiosity is killing me here! \(0_0)/

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><p>Hermione opened the door and went out, followed by Malfoy. In front of her, she saw Lupin on the ground groaning in pain, Tonks was kneeling over him while Mr. and Mrs. Weasly were looking at him with horror.<p>

Draco raised his wand, "Parti..." he started to say, but Hermione was quicker "Partis Temporus" she said, and once again the thin gate appeared momentarily before vanishing, forming a gap in the protective shield that covered the mansion. Tonks and Mr. Weasly carried Lupin with difficulty through the gap and into the house, followed by Mrs. weasly. Once they did, Draco finally moved, holding his wand, he pointed it at Lupin who was still writhing in pain.

Tonks instantly pointed her own wand at Malfoy but Hermione held her arm, looking at her in a silent plead. Draco, inattentive to the wand pointed at him, waved his own wand over Lupin while muttering something they couldn't hear. Finally Lupin stood up, unbalanced at first then he stood upright and shook his head before suddenly grabbing his wand. He pointed it at Malfoy who stood up as well, impassively looking at the furious man in front of him.

"Stupefy!" Lupin thundered and Draco ducked instantly missing the spell by a few inches. The impassive look on his face faltered for a moment. Hermione and Mrs. Weasly gasped simultaneously while Tonks and Mr. Weasly watched silently, both of them knowing how unwise it would be to interfere with an angry Lupin.

"Alarte Ascendare" Lupin thundered again and this time Draco wasn't fast enough, the spell hit him and he flew across the wide hall, he flew so high that he was inches away from the ceiling.

"Aresto Momentum" Hermione yelled suddenly in a shaky voice, stopping Malfoy's body seconds away from hitting the wall "Descendo" she followed and he was lowered to the floor at a more reasonable up again but this time his impassive look replaced with a furious one.

"Serpensortia" Draco snapped and a huge green snake shot out of his wand and headed directly towards Lupin.

"Vipera Evanesca" Hermione spoke, pointing her wand at the snake making it vanish immediately. "Stop, please!" she begged, moving her eyes between Malfoy and Lupin. But neither of them relented.

Lupin was still holding his wand "Confri.."he started to say, but Tonks held his arm, raising her hand to his face.

"Remus, that's enough." she said quietly. But he didn't look at her, his eyes never left Malfoy who stood there holding his wand defensively, waiting for the Lupin to attack again.

"Remus please," she begged, "he's my cousin." she added and Lupin finally looked at her for a long while, then lowered his wand.

"I explained everything in my letters, didn't you get it?" Hermione asked Lupin, her voice a mixture of anger and confusion.

"I did and I couldn't believe you actually trusted Malfoy! I still have a hard time accepting the fact that you wrote this letter without being forced or threatened." he answered.

"But I wasn't." she contradicted.

"I can see that now." he said, and his voice sounded accusatory. Hermione wanted to argue but the look on Lupin's face told her it was no good. Looking at the floor, Hermione let her shoulder fall down in frustration.

"Hermione dear, we were so worried about you." Mrs. Weasly finally spoke, hugging Hermione tightly.

"Yes! Ron, Harry and Ginny, all of us, when we got your letter we couldn't believe ourselves. Lupin thought it was a trap but we thought, what if it wasn't? Harry wanted to come with us but we couldn't take the risk so he stayed with the others." Mr. Weasly explained fervently.

"Is everybody else alright?" Hermione asked, much calmer now.

"Yes, we're all fine. But Harry and Ron...they've been devastated ever since they came back without you. You have to know, dear, that Harry never wanted to leave you behind.." Mrs. Weasly started to explain but Hermione cut her.

"I know, I understand." she said.

"Where is everybody else staying?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, they're at.." Mrs. Weasly spoke. "Molly, no!" Lupin interrupted forcefully.

"I don't think this should be discussed in the presence of a Death Eater." he explained sternly. Hermione looked at him in confusion for a minute, she was about to ask him what he was talking about but then she realized he was talking about Malfoy; she had almost forgotten what he was.

"Which brings us to the main point." Lupin announced "Should we or shouldn't we trust Malfoy?" he asked and before Hermione could answer, he reached for his pocket and took out a small bottle. "There's only one way we could know."

"What's in that bottle?" Hermione asked.

"Veritaserum." Lupin gave her the answer she already knew.

Draco who was standing in the corner watching them silently, rolled his eyes. He knew it would come down to this, no matter what Granger said in that letter, they would still doubt it until they heard it themselves. His last encounter with that potion was a hideous one, he had no intention of repeating it again, but what if he had? Was it any different than the last time? Somehow it was, for Draco.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasly excused themselves out, saying they were going to retrieve their broomsticks.

"I don't want to be interrogated by so much people, it's confusing." Malfoy said, directing his words at Lupin.

"What you want or don't want isn't any of my concern, Mr. Malfoy. And Tonks and I are hardly considered so much people." Lupin explained disdainfully.

"Let's get it over with then." Draco said, heading to the study, followed by Lupin and Tonks.

"I'm not drinking anything you give me as long as I can't see what it is." Draco insisted, refusing to trust Lupin's word about the contents of the bottle. Tonks, who was getting tired of being with two stubborn men in one room, reached for a glass that sat on the desk in front of them and emptied the contents of the bottle in it.

"Better?" she asked exasperatedly.

"Much. Where's the antidote?" he asked.

"There isn't any. The quantity is already very little, it won't last for more than an hour." Lupin's voice was stern, he was getting fed up with Malfoy's attitude.

"Alright_" Malfoy said reluctantly "_but I have one condition." he added.

"You're pushing your luck too far." Lupin warned "What condition?" Tonks asked.

"Granger, I want her to be here." Draco said. "Why?" Lupin asked with a frown

"What I want or don't want isn't any of your concern." Draco repeated Lupin's words smugly. "This is my only condition." he insisted.

"Fine." it was Tonks who replied. She went out and came back minutes later with Hermione, closing the door behind her, she urged Malfoy to drink the potion. He did, with a grimace, before sitting down on the chair behind the desk, watching Lupin as he paced the floor, obviously thinking of the right questions to ask.

"Who knows that you are here now?" Lupin asked. "The people in this house...and my mother." Draco replied.

"Is there anybody in this house that you're hiding from us?" Lupin asked. "No." Draco replied.

"Did you save Ms. Granger that day at the Malfoy Manor, based on the orders of your..your dark lord or any of his followers?" Lupin asked. "No." Draco replied.

"Did your dark lord or any of his followers order you to bring us here?" Lupin inquired. "No." Draco replied

"Are you willing to help the order fight against your lord?" Lupin asked. "Yes." Draco replied.

"Why so?" Lupin added. Draco paused for a long while and Hermione thought he wasn't going to answer that question. "Because I want him defeated...and I want something in return from the order."

Lupin watched Malfoy closely for a second, trying to digest the last answer the boy had given. "What do you want in return." he asked.

"I want you to hide my mother somewhere safe, and I need your help to...fake her death."

"Why do you want to fake your mother's death?"

"Because as long as she's only missing, my father will keep looking for her."

Lupin paused, pacing the floor again, searching his mind for any other possible question "Why did you save Miss Granger from your aunt then?" he asked suddenly.

Draco looked directly at Hermione, he held her gaze for a while and she knew what to do.

"You've already asked him this question, Lupin." she interfered.

"No I haven't." Lupin said, his brows furrowed.

"Yes, you asked him if he did it based on an..you-know-who's orders, and then you asked him why he wanted to help the order, these are pretty much the same question." Hermione argued, her tone a bit more aggressive than she intended it to be.

"Why are you defending him?" Lupin frowned at her.

"Because I find it very offensive that you interrogated him all over again. You think so little of me that you couldn't take my word for it." Hermione replied indignantly.

Taken aback by how she interpreted his actions, Lupin tried to explain his point.

"Hermione, I did not mean to offend you in any way, you should know that. But I have to admit I was worried that he might have tricked you by drinking a different potion...or manipulating the origina..."

"I am perfectly capable of knowing what a potion is when I see it, thank you very much" Hermione interrupted him, putting on her most hurt expression.

Tonks, sensing a fight waiting to happen, decided to interfere.

"Hermione, I'm sure Remus didn't mean it that way. But I think this is all but a misunderstanding, we're all very tired and we all sound a bit more...aggressive than we usually are. I believe this interrogation is over and we need to go back, the others are waiting for us." And with that, Tonks left, followed by Lupin who looked like he was going to say something to Hermione but then he decided against it.

Hermione looked at Malfoy who was now standing in front of her, she started to say something but he raised his hand in a motion to stop her.

"_Don't__" he ordered "_talk to me until this stupid potion wears off."


	15. A Reunion

**A/N: Hi guys, I hope you're enjoying the story so far, any criticism is more than welcome. I just want to let you know that-as you'll notice- starting from this chapter I'll be making some notable changes in the original plot, however this is NOT an AU story. Just thought you should know. :)**

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><p>This time when Hermione mounted Malfoy's broomstick, she didn't argue with him, neither did she flinch. They flew silently, following the two older couples.<br>"Is the potion still effective?" Hermione asked finally.

"I don't know." Draco replied.

"I thought you were supposed to feel different when you drink it."

"Only when you try to lie." he corrected.

"When I asked you that question and you started acting like somebody was torturing you, is that what happens when you try to lie under the potion's effect?"  
>Draco realized what her question meant and he groaned reluctantly"YES." the broomstick swayed rapidly to the left and he lost control over it for a minute before regaining it.<p>

"Merlin, Granger! You have no idea what I'm so tempted to do to you right now." he fumed

Hermione grinned mischievously, reveling in the power she had over Malfoy. "What are you so temp..." she started to ask.

"NO!" he hissed at her, "I swear if you ask that question I'm landing this broomstick instantly, launching us both directly into water." he threatened.

After a long journey, they landed at the outskirts of a quite suburban town. They walked for a while between seemingly abandoned houses. The tiny buildings were covered in grime, most of the windows were broken and some of them didn't even have doors. Finally Lupin stopped in front of one of the houses "We're here." he said. It didn't look any different than the others except that it had a door. They entered and the house was as bad in the inside as it was on the outside, it didn't look like anybody lived in it for the past decade. Lupin was walking into one of the rooms followed by the others.

Draco stopped abruptly, his hand tightening on his wand, suspicion crawling into his heart. This place couldn't have possibly been inhabited by anybody. He took a couple of steps backwards towards the door and Hermione looked back at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, and everybody looked back at him, Lupin who was already in the other room came out looking at him quizzically.

"I'm not taking another step in this place until I know where we're going. This doesn't look like a house that had been inhabited by anybody for years...not humans at least." Draco objected, looking around him in disgust. "If this is a trap then it failed miserably." he grimaced, directing his words to Lupin.

"If this was a trap set for you, you wouldn't have lived long enough to say half of the speech you just made." Lupin remarked dryly. "This is not the house we're staying it; it's a passage to it." he explained before walking back into the room.

"Do you have to be so suspicious?" Hermione whispered angrily at Malfoy.

"Yes!" he whispered back.

Lupin crouched on the floor, tapping his wand on the old floor panels and they started parting revealing a stairway. Lupin went first, followed by Mrs. and Mr. Weasly who helped Hermione down the stairs. Malfoy followed them and Tonks was the last one, waving her wand above her head to hide the stairs once again.

The minute Draco's leg touched the floor, he was knocked down by Ron who launched himself forcefully at him. Pushing him off quickly and retrieving his wand,

"Stupefy." he barked, and Ron fell back to the floor in pain. Instantly, Bill and Fleur were pointing their wands at Malfoy.

"I'm petrified." he mocked impassively.

"Lower your wands right now, all of you." Lupin ordered in exhaustion. The couple did and Malfoy -reluctantly- did as well. Harry who was helping Ron off the floor seemed oblivious to everything happening in the room except for the fact that Hermione was back.

Hermione who was just watching in shock the fight between Malfoy and Ron, noticed Harry looking at her with his mouth open. Smiling at him, she finally felt like she could have a moment of peace. He was okay, so was everybody else and she was able to take a deep breath and ignore all the tension that had been clouding the air.

Fleur was the first one to welcome her back, hugging her, followed by Bill who greeted her more formally. Finally Ron walked at her slowly, his hand at the nape of his neck, he tilted his head to the side voicing a meek hi.

They were all sitting cozily in the living room chatting animatedly while Malfoy stood at a distance with his back to them, looking out of the window.  
>Hermione listened as everybody told her something about what was going on when she was away.<p>

"When we read your letter, Lupin thought you were forced to write it." Harry said.

"But then we told him, do you really imagine Hermione sitting there silently writing while somebody pointed their wand at her?" Ron shook his head disbelievingly.

Mrs. Weasly came in with a tray in her hand and started pouring tea for everybody. When everybody around her was served, she hesitated for a while before going back to the kitchen and bringing an extra cup.

"Tea?" she asked tentatively and Draco looked down at her, for a minute he considered declining her offer but then he took the cup from her hand, nodding politely before looking back at the window.

After a while, everybody went back to their rooms while Draco stayed in the living room. Harry, Hermione and Lupin gathered in one of the rooms.

"Hermione, I really don't think this is wise." Harry argued."What would happen once we've helped him? He will run back to you-know-who!" he answered himself. "And do you realize what he meant by wanting us to help him fake his mother's death? He wants a battle, or at least a skirmish, one that you-know-who and his followers would have to know about. This will not just waste our time it will also mean starting the war before we're ready for it." he said.

"And considering that Narcissa Malfoy doesn't seem to ever leave her house lately, I believe he's trying to lure us back to the Malfoy Manor. There are death eaters in every corner of that house, it would be miraculous if we survived it without losing some of us." Harry was pacing the floor back and forth, thinking of all the possible scenarios that might happen.

"Harry's right, Hermione." Lupin confirmed "But..I believe we might need Malfoy's help, you-know-who keeps himself hidden in the Malfoy Manor, surrounding himself with the best of his followers, he rarely ever leaves this house and I think that means he's hiding something there, or he's afraid of leaving it for some reason." he speculated.

"This, and of course the fact that having an eye inside Voldemort's headquarters could be very helpful." Hermione added.

"What's most important is, I don't think we can trust him." Harry contradicted as if he didn't listen to a word of what they just said.

"We've interrogated him twice already!" Hermione reasoned with Harry.

"I've known two men who had trusted death eaters...they're both dead now." Harry insisted.

"Trust never kills people Harry, betrayal does." Lupin interjected.

"Does it matter? The result is still the same, and I think we're repeating the same mistake allover again." Harry said impatiently.

"Can't you at least give him the benefit of the doubt?" Hermione asked.

"I can't believe you out of all people are saying that, Hermione. You're supposed to be the smartest one among us!" Harry looked at her incredulously.

"Well, if you think I'm so smart then don't you think I might have a point in what I'm saying." she argued.

"He has to help us before we can help him." Harry said finally.

"I agree with Harry on this, consider it a test." Lupin nodded approvingly.

...

"You want me to WHAT?" Draco asked in surprise.

"You heard me the first time." Hermione said quietly.

"Yes but I'm giving you a chance to take back what you said because it's rubbish." he answered

"It's the only way we can know the information we need." Hermione explained.

She knew what they were asking was mad and the chances of her getting caught if she sneaks back into the Malfoy Manor were very high. But it was the only way they could know what is it that Bellatrix was so afraid of when she knew they had broken into her vault. Harry thought it was something related to the Horcruxes but they couldn't risk breaking into her vault without being sure that they will find something of great value. And they couldn't trust Malfoy enough to tell him about the Horcruxes . It was all very paradoxical.

"Look, I won't be doing anything, I'll be hiding under the cloak just listening and trying to find out as much information as possible." she said.

"I have ears too, in case you haven't noticed. I can do the listening part without even having to hide. All you have to do is tell me what I'm supposed to be listening to, because a lot happens in the Manor; you have to be specific." he retorted.

"We can't tell you." Hermione said hesitantly.

"Why not?" He frowned at her.

"Because we can't trust you yet, isn't that obvious?" Harry interjected.

"Alright. When?" Malfoy finally relented after a long pause.

"As soon as possible." Lupin said.

"_When?_" Draco repeated impatiently.

"First thing in the morning." Hermione said.

"So soon!" Draco exclaimed.

"We don't have much time and I'm not sure how long I will have to be there before I extract any useful information." she explained.

"Don't make it sound like we're going on a picnic, Granger. You can't stay for long because _I_ myself can't be there for long. I'm supposed to be out there searching for you, remember? I'll only go back for a day or two at most. I'd say I got injured and needed some time to recover, but Bellatrix won't let me stay any longer." Draco fought to control the anger in his voice.

"We'll have to be really lucky, then." Hermione tried to sound indifferent but her voice betrayed her and came out too shaky.

Harry sat next to her and took her hands in his, "Hermione you don't have to come back with any information. I understand it could be hard and you have very little time, so if you can't find out anything, _don't_ do anything foolish. Just come back and we'll go ahead with our plan anyway." Harry assured, trying to pick his words wisely since Malfoy was hearing them.

"It's alright, I'm having a good feeling about this." Hermione smiled back at him briefly.

Draco watched them with a grimace on his face. The two of them have been acting like estranged lovers from the first moment, but what unsettled him the most was Potter's nerve. He was sitting there pretending to be so worried about her when he could simply do the task himself. But of course, the chosen one had to be kept safe and sound while others did his work for him. He gave Harry a look of sheer contempt before leaving the room.


	16. More Than Just An Apology

"I will _never_ grow to like flying." Hermione admitted as they flew through the fog.

Draco refused to fly all the way from the house they were staying at to the Manor. So they apparated to Hogsmeade and flew from there. And this, Hermione thought, was one of the very few times she was actually thankful to Malfoy.

"You're afraid of heights?" Malfoy asked and she could hear rather than see his smirk.

"No, I'm afraid of flying on a broomstick with somebody I believe is very unskilled." Hermione retorted.

Malfoy didn't reply and Hermione almost smiled in victory at the fact that she silenced him. But suddenly the broomstick started swaying from one side to the other, descending at frightening speed before flying up again forcefully.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked warily.

"Oh nothing. I'm just living up to your expectations. Flying like the unskilled person that I am." he replied simply.

"Fly this thing properly!" Hermione ordered furiously.

"But I can't; I don't have enough skill to do it." he taunted, almost crashing them into a tree.

Hermione reached for her wand, poking it into Malfoy's side. "FLY PROPERLY!" she yelled at him.  
>Draco was silent for a minute, he considered taunting her a bit more but feeling her wand at his side and the fury that laced her voice told him it would've been a bad move. He started flying again at a reasonable height.<p>

Flying again through the window she had just flown through days ago, Hermione couldn't believe she was willingly going back to this place.

"Just so you would know, Granger. I don't approve of what you're doing. I think it's stupid, let alone futile." Malfoy said.

"Well, it's a great thing then that I don't need you approval." Hermione lifted her chin up defiantly.

"At least your precious Potter should've been doing this, not you." he said, ignoring her words. "But of course you're so willingly throwing your self in hell for him." he smirked at her.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked.

"I think you know what I mean." he replied.

"No, I most definitely don't!" Hermione replied indignantly.

"You know, at first I thought you were with Weasly. I mean, I know they're friends and so, but to the extent of sharing the same girl! That's remarkable." he twisted his mouth in disgust.

Before she could think about it, Hermione pointed her wand at Malfoy.

"DIFFINDO" she yelled and Malfoy shielded himself from the spell in the last minute.

"Have you gone mad? Do you want to kill me?" He demanded. He was not going to raise his wand to attack her, Draco restrained himself. But the fact that she used such a spell, showed him how mad his remark had made her.  
>Enraged beyond words, Hermione threw her wand from her hand and walked towards Malfoy. She raised her hand to slap him but he caught it in his own.<p>

"Merlin! Calm down, Granger; you're in flames!" he was looking at her in disbelief.

"How dare you say something like that to me!" Hermione seethed with anger.

"I didn't know you would react so strongly." he said honestly.

"Of course I would. Do you even realize what your bloody remark meant?" Hermione demanded.

"If I didn't know what it meant then I wouldn't have said it." He replied coldly. "I have to go now; I have to make a noticeable arrival." he explained before apparating out of the room.

Hermione's face turning into a dark shade of red was the last thing Draco saw before leaving his room. Of course he knew what his words had meant. But did he mean them? Maybe he pushed it too far this time, he conceded grimly.  
>The minute Draco walked through the main door he knew what was going on. Voldemort was there. He could see it in the way everybody seemed to be hyper vigilant. The fear in their eyes that they weren't even trying to hide. Their hushed voices. The man brought an air of terror with him.<p>

"Draco! You're back so soon? I...oh" Bellatrix was the first to meet him, she was surprised to see him and then her voice trailed off when she saw the blood that covered his arm.

"What happened?" She asked, looking more curious than worried about him.

"I almost caught her, but she wasn't alone. That boy, Ron Weasly was with her and...well I wasn't fast enough to escape his spell." Draco said.

"What about Potter? Was he with them?"

"No, they were alone."

"Why are you back, then?"

"I haven't had a proper night's sleep in a while, I'm tired and I need some potions to heal my arm." he explained. Bellatrix looked at him for a brief moment before turning to leave.

His aunt was edgy, Draco noted. He could tell by the exaggerated shrillness of her voice and the fact that she didn't ask too many questions as usual. But then again, she was always edgy when the old snake was around. For the first time he was thankful for her edginess. The wound in his arm was too severe. He hadn't intended it to be, but he wasn't focused when he cast the spell on himself.

Hermione took off the cloak when she realized it was Malfoy who just apparated into the room. Although she was very tempted to stay under the cloak and attack him once more, taking him by surprise this time. Sharing a girl? This had to be the most demeaning thing he had ever said to her and there were lots of them! She refused to look up at him as he entered the room, staringat the window intently. But when she heard a whimper of pain she was forced to look back.

She saw the trail of blood he was leaving behind him and looked up at him. He had taken his shirt off, a shirt covered in blood just like his hand. Then she looked at the source of the blood and saw the wound that started a his shoulder and ended at his elbow.

"Tell me, Malfoy. Do you enjoy wounding yourself?" She asked with a grimace.

"Immensely." he spat.

He summoned the familiar potion box and started fiddling with the flasks, his hand slippery with blood.

"A little help would be appreciated." he sighed exasperatedly.  
>Hermione hesitated, she didn't feel like helping Malfoy. If anything, she felt like adding another wound to him. After a while of reasoning with herself she finally walked over to him.<br>The process of cleaning and healing the wound was a long one that left them both tired.

"Your help, as I said before, is appreciated." Malfoy said indifferently. Was he too arrogant to even say a simple thank you!

"Well, I'm glad I could help. Actually, now that you've found me so useful maybe three can share me rather than just two, don't you think? Oh this would be _delightful_!" Hermione fumed at him, barely holding herself back from punching his wounded arm.

"Too bad I don't fancy sharing, I think I'll pass." he smirked at her.

Hermione looked at him with narrow eyes, she wanted to retort but she knew it was pointless, just another fight. And it was a stupid thing to say in the first place. That's what happens when you let your anger speak for you, she scolded herself. Hurt and embarrassment took over her and she looked down at her hands, now covered in blood.  
>She stood in front of the window fighting back tears of frustration that threatened to fall down her face.<p>

Draco felt like an utter git. He didn't know what had gotten into him, the words were out before he could stop them. That thing she said about three sharing instead of two provoked him so much that he felt the need to say something equally provocative. And he knew how far what he said had annoyed her when she decided to ignore him instead of biting back a retort.

"Look, I've apologized to you in the past couple of days more than I've apologized in my entire life. So again, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." he said as he moved to stand behind her.

"You know what really annoys me more than anything?" Hermione asked "It's that I have absolutely no idea why you're doing this. It's like one minute we're just talking and then you manage to come up with a new insult out of thin air."

She turned around and looked up at him. "So I don't want your apology, it's becoming more and more meaningless over time." she informed. "I want to know why. Because it made more sense when we were on opposite sides. But now that we're -supposedly- not then why you keep doing it, is beyond me."

Draco watched Hermione for too long before before speaking "I don't know." he said.

"You're lying." Hermione replied instantly.

"Yes..." Draco muttered, stepping closer.

Hermione froze in her place. He was standing too close for her own comfort, bending his head down.

"I_ really_ am sorry" he whispered against her lips. She tried to say something or at least push him away but his gaze transfixed her. She knew what was happening, could see it his dilated pupils but she didn't do anything to stop it, she didn't want to.

There was a sharp knock at the door. He blinked at the sound, snapping out of the trance he seemed to be in and stood in his place for a minute, reluctant to step back. Hermione raised her hand to push him away but only ended up resting it against his chest. Another sharp knock came, shortly followed by the door flying open. Narcissa Malfoy stood at the door looking at them with wide eyes. She closed the door behind her.

"Draco!" she looked at her son incredulously.


	17. A Female Skirmish At The Malfoy Manor

"Draco what are you doing here? What is _she_ doing here?" Narcissa Malfoy squealed in surprise, her eyes travelling between the two young people in front of her.  
>Draco finally stepped away to face his mother directly.<p>

"Calm down, will you?" he rolled his eyes at her.

"Don't you roll your eyes on me Draco! Have you any idea how hard it was for me to hide my shock when Bella said you were back so soon! And let me see your arm." she walked over to him and grabbed his arm forcefully. Alarmed at the agonized expression on her son's face, she immediately let go of his arm, mumbling an apology.

"What happened?" she asked quietly. Hermione mused at how the woman's tone changed from fury into sympathy at such rapid speed.

"A change of plan." he said.

"That much is clear, my questions are what and why." Narcissa glared at her son, infuriated by how simple he made it sound.

"I thought it wouldn't make any sense if I was never injured during my search and...aunt Bella would probably doubt it so I thought an injury would convince her of how hard I am working on my mission." he explained. Earning himself a wide-eyed look from Hermione who couldn't believe how fast he came up with a lie.

Narcissa Malfoy sat on the chair opposite to her and looked at him for a while. She seemed to be weighing his answer in her head then she asked.

"If that's the case then what's she doing with you?" she asked, intentionally avoiding looking at Hermione's direction.

"Well, if I left her there, chances are she would've ran away the minute I left. So I thought keeping her with me was much safer." he informed confidently.  
>She has a name and is standing in the same room! Hermione thought, angry at the fact that they both seemed to pretend she didn't exist.<p>

Narcissa's frown started fading and it was replaced by a smile she was trying to hide. She laced her fingers together and rested her chin on her hands, looking directly at him.

"Tell me, Draco," she said, "in all the tales you've read and heard during your whole life. How many tales were there where a boy lied to his mother and she didn't know it instantly?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Malfoy grinned back at his mother and Hermione thought this was the most genuine smile he had ever shown.

"Quite a few, actually." he replied humorously.

"Alright then, do you plan on telling me the truth or should I wait here until you come up with a more convincing lie?" Narcissa Malfoy raised one perfectly trimmed eyebrow at her son.

Draco hesitated for a while. He knew lying to his mother wasn't going to work but it was worth a try. How could he tell her the truth when he himself seemed to only have a dimmed version of it. He didn't want to show his mother how little they trusted him. Neither could he tell how she would react if he told her he was supposed to be hunting for information when Voldemort himself was occupying their house. Actually no, he knew how she would react, it would be disastrous. It was Hermione's voice that snapped him out of his thoughts.

"We're looking for something." Hermione informed "It's...supposed to be in the Lestrange vault. But...we're not sure if it's there so we thought that maybe...if I return, I might hear something that helps us." she added, annoyed by the piercing gaze of the older woman.

"So, Ms. Granger. You're saying that you are looking for something that's supposedly in Gringots, but you're not even sure whether it's there or not. And you're back in my house in the hope of miraculously hearing something that will help you find it." Narcissa Malfoy said her words carefully. "As brilliant as your plan sounds, I'm afraid I'll have to ruin it for you. My sister is not in the habit of randomly boasting about her possessions." she added.

"Well it's worth trying."Hermione replied impatiently.

"Tell me then, how do you plan on executing that plan of yours? Because I have to tell you, most of the people in this house will be quite alarmed if they saw you roaming around." Narcissa Malfoy faked a serious expression.

Hermione was getting more and more fed up by the woman's mockery. She could see clearly where Malfoy had gotten his sense of humor from and she didn't like it one single bit. She was so determined on ridiculing everything Hermione said or did. How could she help her or as Malfoy had said _guide_ her in the Muggle world when she was maintaining that insufferable attitude!

"I would really appreciate it if you didn't sound so sarcastic." Hermione raised her chin up, crossing her arms over her chest. Narcissa Malfoy's blank expression was no longer there, she looked offended by Hermione's remark.

Sensing the tension that had been building up in the room, Draco decided to interfere. He knew his mother was about to say something back. And it would only cause the fight that had been waiting to happen ever since she walked into the room to erupt.

"I think she has the hiding part covered, plus.." he started to say.

"I have a name!" Hermione snapped at him.

"_You _have a nerve!" Narcissa snapped back at her.

"You can't speak to me like that!" Hermione fumed.

"This is my house, I will do as I please!" Narcissa bit back indignantly.

"Well maybe you should say that to your sister. As far as I recall, she's the one who runs around giving orders." Hermione sneered at her.  
>Narcissa Malfoy's mouth fell open, her eyes widened as Hermione's last remark obviously hit home.<p>

"_Enough!_" Draco spoke forcefully. Hastily grabbing the shirt he had discarded earlier, he took his mother's elbow and started to urge her out of the room.

"Let's get out, I promise I'll explain." he pleaded with her "Mother,_ please._ Let's go to your room." he pursued when she refused to move.

Narcissa Malfoy stood fixed in her place. She wasn't glaring at Hermione anymore, nor was she looking at her son's face. She was staring distractedly on the fingerprints Hermione's bloodied hand had left on his chest. Her gaze lingered there for a while before looking back at Hermione who stood bracing herself for the woman's retort. But it never came as Narcissa Malfoy left the room without another word, followed by her son.

Long hours passed before Malfoy finally came back.

"That last remark was_ definitely_ uncalled for." he said as he closed the door behind him.

"I was mad. Your mother had spared no effort in ridiculing anything I said or did from the very first moment." Hermione defended herself.

"She could be...provocative some times." he chose his words with care. "But she has a good reason to, this whole situation is stressing her out too much." he added, sounding concerned.

"This situation isn't easy for anybody but you don't see me having an attitude problem, do you?" Hermione demanded.

"Watch your language, Granger. That's my mother you're talking about." he said with a tone of warning.

"Oh another fight with another Malfoy, _perfect_!" Hermione scoffed.

"I'm not looking for a fight; I've had my fair share of fighting during the past couple of hours." Malfoy shook his head at her. "I'm simply saying that she has to live in this place, not allowed to leave it. And there's this plan I told you about before, it's worrying her and it's not easy for her to have to think twice about everything before saying it. At some point she had spent most of her days in her room because she was paranoid that my aunt would read her mind." he confided. "It makes her feel weak, not exactly the best feeling." he added.

Hermione took a minute to think about what Malfoy had just said. She felt some sympathy for the older woman and tried to remind herself that they were supposed to be on the same side now. But that doesn't give her any excuse to treat me like that, Hermione decided.

"What do you mean she's not allowed to leave the house?" she asked.

"Potter's escape, it enraged the Dark lord. And when he knew that you too have escaped, he decided to...punish us. So me, my parents and my aunt are confined to the Manor, not allowed to go out. With the exception of me of course, because I'm supposed to be fixing the mistake that got us punished in the first place." he explained.

"He punished you by keeping you prisoners in your own house?" Hermione repeated disbelievingly.

"Yes. So you could see why my mother is too sensitive about that issue. She used to have full authority in this house now she has zero to none, and it's driving her mad." he said. Hermione nodded silently.

"I'm tired and I need to sleep." he said, nearly collapsing on the bed. "_Don't_ leave the room on your own, not even under the cloak, just don't." he dictated, looking at her through half opened eyes.

Hermione mumbled something inaudible in response and headed to the book shelf to find something to read. It disoriented her how easily she was able to find her way through the room, how she knew exactly where every book was and how familiar it all felt. She glanced over at Malfoy's sleeping body and he looked fast asleep already. She had very little time and if she was spending it in the confines of Malfoy's room then she wasn't going to get anything done. She opened her bag and took out the invisibility cloak and draped it over her body. Opening the door slightly, she looked around to see if anybody was there but the corridor seemed empty. She closed the door slowly behind her and went on to explore the Malfoy Manor for the first time.

There were death eaters in every corner of the house, and she almost let out an audible gasp when she heard two men talking about Voldemort's sudden arrival at the Manor. For some reason the idea of her being at the same place as he was, even if he wasn't able to see her, sent a tremor through her body. She wandered aimlessly around the Manor, most of the rooms where empty as all of the men gathered in the drawing room. She tried to hear what they were saying but the door was too thick so she waited outside hoping that somebody would open the door and she'd be able to sneak in. But nobody seemed to get in or out of the room.

There was a small room across the hall and Hermione slipped in to see what was there. The room was small in opposition to most of the spacious rooms in the Manor. A fireplace dominated it, but what caught Hermione's attention were the pictures placed on a table near the fire place. There were photographs of Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy as a younger couple, they looked less formal and much happier than the huge painting that she had seen earlier. Then she saw them, three framed pictures of a younger Narcissa Malfoy. In one of them she cradling a familiar looking baby, in the other picture she was holding him up cheerfully. And in the third one the baby had grown into a toddler and Narcissa was crouched on the floor next to him. She was looking lovingly at him while he looked back at her with a smile similar to the one he showed earlier.

Distracted with the pictures, Hermione hadn't noticed the door opening behind her. "Lumos" the man at the door muttered and Hermione jumped in surprise. He walked further into the room looking around him suspiciously. Hermione held her breath and reached carefully for her wand as the man came closer to her.


	18. Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

Hermione held her breath as the man walked past her. He raised his wand at one corner of the room and said "Homenum Revelio" but nothing happened. He moved around the room some more, before standing right in front of Hermione, she held her wand tightly and braced herself for a duel.

"Homenum Rev..." he started to say again.

"Dolohov! What do you think you're doing here?" Narcissa Malfoy's high pitched sound demanded.

"I thought I heard something in here." He answered her distractedly, still looking around him.

"That's not possible. Because I remember clearly stating that nobody is allowed into this room. A statement you seem to carelessly ignore." she grimaced at the man.

"I wasn't prying, Narcissa. I told you I heard something." he insisted.

"I don't care what you were doing; you are not doing it any longer. And what you heard was probably one of the house elves." she dismissed him nonchalantly.

Without further argument the man left the room and Narcissa closed the door behind him. She scanned the room then her eyes rested at the pictures Hermione was examining earlier. Her gaze lingered on them and she walked in their direction. Holding the last picture in her hand, her expression softened before she put it down carefully. "Sonus Opertus" she whispered, pointing her wand at the door.

"Reveal yourself." she ordered quietly.

Hermione hesitated for a minute before taking off the cloak. Narcissa looked directly at her, or rather glared.

"You foolish, _foolish_ girl!" Narcissa scolded her. "What do you think you're doing? Have you any idea what could have happened if that man had seen you? Not just to you, to all of us. Do you realize the danger you're putting Draco through? Or don't you care?" she shook with fury.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but Narcissa went on "Didn't he tell you not to leave the room unaccompanied?"

"I don't take orders from Malf..your son." Hermione retorted.

"_Malfoy__" Narcissa stressed the name "_is risking his life by bringing you back here in such bad timing." she fumed at her.

"Will you stop yelling at me!" Hermione said. "Look, I probably shouldn't have said what I said earlier. But when you make it very clear that you can't stand my existence from the first moment you see me. Then you can hardly blame me for reacting accordingly." Hermione explained. "I know you hate me and I know it's because of my...my..blood status. But I'd really appreciate it if you don't make it so obvious. Because I believe we'll have to deal with each other a lot more in the future." she tried to rationalize with the older witch.

"Your blood status!" Narcissa scoffed "_Your. Blood. Status._" she punctuated her words.

"Do you really think that matters to me anymore? Do you think that makes any difference now?" she looked at Hermione incredulously. "There's one thing that matters to me and that's my son's life." she admitted."Do you want to know why I _hate_ you, as you choose to phrase it?" she raised her eyebrow quizzically at Hermione who just nodded at her faintly.

"Because, Hermione Granger, my son had spent the past two years of his life surrounded by Death Eaters. Yet, I believe _you_ have the worst influence on him so far." she hissed at her.

The two witches stood there silently. Hermione wanted to ask Narcissa why she thought so but she knew her question would be pointless. Narcissa Malfoy looked like she was minutes away from exploding. She turned her back to Hermione and stood very still for a moment. When she turned around to face her, her expression was blank and her once furious glare was now a distant gaze. Hermione found herself once again musing at how fast Narcissa Malfoy turned from flaming hot to icy cold.

"Put that thing on and follow me." Narcissa dictated as she walked towards the door and held the knob. She looked over her shoulder to make sure Hermione was fully hidden under the cloak.  
>But before Narcissa could turn the knob, the door opened almost hitting her and Bellatrix walked into the room. Hermione felt a shiver run through her body as Bellatrix looked directly at her direction.<p>

"Cissy! Where have you been? I've been looking allover the place for you." Bellatrix whined.

"Does nobody respect my privacy in this house anymore!" Narcissa exclaimed. "You could have knocked, Bella." she rebuked her sister.

"I did and nobody answered me." Bellatrix replied with a dismissive shrug.

"But I can see why you didn't answer, you're busy watching those baby pictures..._again_" she mocked, picking up one of the frames and toying with it carelessly.

"Put that back." Narcissa ordered sternly and Bellatrix obliged, almost throwing the frame back in its place.

"You know, Cissy. You don't really need those pictures. You have the real person." Bellatrix remarked, matter-of-factly.

"Yes, but for how long." Narcissa replied bitterly.

"Oh please! Not that rubbish again." Bellatrix waved her hand in the air impatiently.

"But isn't it true? Don't I watch him every time he leaves the house, and wonder whether or not he will be coming back?" Narcissa pursued.

"Your son is safe as long as he carries whatever tasks assigned to him by the Dark Lord." Bellatrix informed coldly

"But what if he dies during one of those tasks? What if he had died last year at Hogwarts?" Narcissa countered.

"But he didn't." Bellatrix replied nonchalantly.

"Why were you looking for me?" Narcissa said after a long pause, infuriated by how futile her conversation with her sister was.

"I was going to ask you about Draco's arm." Bellatrix replied "How long would it be before he can resume the search?" she added.

"The wound is grave.." Narcissa started to say.

"How long, Narcissa?" Bellatrix interrupted her sternly.

"I **don't** know." Narcissa scowled at her sister.

"Fine_" Bellatrix huffed "_when he wakes up, tell him I want to see him." she added and -without waiting for her sister to reply- left the room.

"Let's go." Narcissa Malfoy ordered as she once again stood by the door.

"Alright" Hermione whispered as she stood behind her and together they left the room and headed back to Malfoy's room.

Hermione expected a second round with Narcissa as they walked into Malfoy's room. But she seemed to go back to the point where she pretended Hermione didn't exist. She stood by the side of the bed watching her son. She sat down carefully next to him and wiped some sweat off his forehead with the back of her hand. Then she started to trace the wound on his arm with her fingers. He let out a small whimper of pain when she touched his arm. Removing her hand abruptly she whispered "It's okay" as she smoothed back his hair.

Hermione felt like she was intruding on them. She tried to look away or pretend not to notice them but she couldn't. She was seeing two Malfoys from a whole new angle and she couldn't help but stare. After a while, Narcissa Malfoy stood up and left the room.

Hermione watched Malfoy's sleeping frame while his mother's words echoed in her head. "_You_ have the worst influence on him so far". What did she mean by that? Her son was finally doing something right and instead of being thankful, she regards it as bad influence! But Narcissa Malfoy wasn't in this for the sake of right and wrong, Hermione thought. She said it herself that it didn't matter for her anymore, she only wanted to secure her son's safety. And he was trying to do the same for her.  
>Then why was she making it sound like Hermione's fault when her son was doing all this for her in the first place?<p>

Hermione was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice Malfoy had woken up.

"It's really unwise to keep staring at me like that." he advised as he looked back at her, braced up on one elbow.

"I wasn't staring at you." Hermione scoffed at him.

"I believe you were." Malfoy smirked at her.

"I was distracted." she explained.

"By looking at me." he retorted.

"I went out." she changed the subject and barely bit back her laugh when Malfoy jumped out of the bed.

"Didn't I tell you not to?" he glared at her.

"Did you really expect me to simply obey your orders?" Hermione asked.

"Those weren't orders for the sake of orders. They were orders for the sake of your safety and mine." he replied dryly.

"They're still orders. And you'd do well to remember that I don't take orders from anybody." Hermione reminded him. He looked at her and let out an exasperated sigh.

"I..um...saw your mother." Hermione informed.

"Let me guess, you resumed the fight you started earlier." He twisted his mouth in disapproval.

"Not exactly but...she's not particularly fond of me."

"Or you of her."

"But I don't hate her."

"Neither does she."

"Actually, I believe she does."

"Hate is a strong word."

"You used to hate me before...or you still do. I'm not sure."

Malfoy fell silent for a while before shaking his head "I'm not going to dignify this with an answer." he replied as he went to the adjoined bathroom and closed the door behind him.

"So, was your little escapade fruitful?" Malfoy asked as he emerged from the bathroom.

"Not really. Everybody seemed to gather in the drawing room and they hardly ever left it." Hermione replied.

"They usually don't." he informed, "Have you seen...my aunt?" he asked carefully.

"Yes." Hermione replied.

Malfoy's eyes widened as he asked her "Did she see you?"

"Of course, then she invited me up to her room for some tea. But I had to excuse myself because I wasn't feeling well. She's great at making small talk, I have to admit." Hermione said putting on her most serious expression.

"Sarcasm doesn't become you, Granger." he smirked at her.

"How do you expect me to answer such a stupid question, then?" she challenged.

"What you told my mother, about something in the Lestrange Vault that you're looking for, was it true?" he changed the subject, his tone more serious now.

"Yes, why would I lie." Hermione replied simply.

"Well, you seemed so reluctant to tell me when I asked. Because, as you said, you couldn't trust me enough." he accused.

"I didn't say that, Harry did." Hermione defended herself.

"And you agreed with him." Malfoy countered. "Anyway, that doesn't matter. Tell me more about that thing you're looking for." he added.

"Well, we don't really know what it could be but it's something really valuable. When Bellatrix thought we had broken into her vault she panicked and she kept asking me what else we have taken from her vault. That means she's hiding something in there and we just need to make sure if it was still there. She might have removed it to a safer place. It would be dangerous to take such a risk when we aren't sure we'll find what we're looking for." Hermione explained.

"What do you mean by valuable? Because I don't think you mean expensive." he inquired.

"I mean it's a valuable...weapon."

"Like a...sword or something?"

"No, I meant it could be used as a weapon. It's very important for...you-know-who and...it could be used against him."Hermione stopped abruptly, afraid that she had said too much.

"Hmm...alright."Malfoy mumbled as he stared down at his hands. Thinking deeply about something. After a while, he stood up and headed to the door "This time when I say don't get out I really mean don't get out and it's not an order, consider it...a suggestion." he urged as he tucked his shirt in his trousers.

"Where are you going?" Hermione looked at him in confusion.

"Granger, if I get killed for this, I hope you live with the guilt forever." He ran his fingers through his hair before closing the door behind him.


	19. Cold Case: Trust

Draco almost tripped and fell down the stairs as he headed to the other side of the Manor. Voldemort had picked the best chamber in the house and claimed it his. It aggravated his mother how the man almost threw out everything that was in the room and had it rearranged for his satisfaction. Travers seemed to be patrolling the room as he paced the corridor back and forth.

"Is the Dark Lord inside?" Draco asked. "Yes." Travers replied curtly.

"Tell him I wish to meet him then." Draco ordered.

"What for?" Travers frowned at Draco.

"That's non of your business, just tell him." Draco repeated impatiently.

Travers glared at Draco and his fingers trembled around his wand. He was so tempted to hex the little prat but he couldn't risk doing it with both his mother and his aunt lurking around the house. He hesitantly knocked the door and waited, hoping the Dark Lord won't answer. But a faint "Come in" came eventually. Travers disappeared into the room for a short while before emerging again then closing the door behind Draco.

Draco took a deep breath to settle the tremor that ran through his body as he walked into the room. Voldemort was sitting on a chair, he didn't seem to be doing anything except petting the huge snake whose head sat quietly on his lap. Draco hated that bloody snake more than anything, he feared it even more than Voldemort himself. And the man treated it like it was his pet! He kept it by his side most the time, but when he didn't, he let it roam around the house freely, terrifying even the strongest men. Even Voldemort's most loyal men never grew to accept the serpent.

"It had been a while since I last saw you, Draco." Voldemort looked at him through dark scarlet eyes. "But you have changed since then, haven't you?" he asked.

"I believe I have." Draco nodded politely, his eyes kept travelling back to the snake.

Voldemort, noticing how Draco's gaze kept travelling back to Nagini let her slither down his leg and curl at his feet. "Are you...intimidated by Nagini, Draco?" he asked, enjoying the fear that laced the boy's gaze.

"Fear is but a sign of respect, my lord." Draco replied.

Voldemort studied the boy in front of him intently before speaking. "You're a spitting image of your father, Draco. But you didn't inherit his wits..or lack thereof. Those, you got from your mother, fortunately." he remarked slowly.

"It's an honor to meet your approval, my lord." Draco bent his head down in acknowledgment.

"It was you who discovered about Rowle and eventually caught him, right?" Voldemort asked.

"Right." Draco nodded faintly.

"Such a shame, don't you think?" Voldemort said after a thoughtful pause. "How a man gets the chance, or rather the honor of joining the ranks of highly talented witches and wizards who would eventually rule the world. Yet he so carelessly declines it to help a filthy Mudblood. Traitors...are something I shall never understand!" he sounded genuinely unable to understand how anybody dared betray him.

Draco stared at the man, exerting an extra effort on masking his expression. Voldemort's words sounded like they were directed to him. Or was he being paranoid about it?

"I never trusted Rowle." Draco said, stirring the conversation back to safer grounds. "Wasn't he the one who killed Gibbon during the battle at the Astronomy tower?" he added.

"Yes...but he claimed it was an accident." Voldemort replied.

"I was there, my lord. And I can assure you it did not look like an accident to me." Draco shook his head.

"Anyway, it does not do to discuss the choices of a dead man." Voldemort dismissed after he paused for a while to consider Draco's words. "Why did you want to see me?" he asked.

"There is something that I feel obliged to discuss with you, my lord." Draco informed tentatively, he took the man's faint nod as a permission to continue.

"That day when we...caught the Mudblood. There seemed to be something with her that caught my aunt's attention. And I couldn't help but notice the panicked look on her face when she thought they had broken into her vault in Gringots." Draco said. "And then...when I was searching for the Mudblood, when I found her and that boy Weasly. I heard them say something about the Lestrange vault, they seem to be looking for something that's hidden there. I wasn't able to know what they were talking about but they were probably heading to Gringots when I found them. And, my lord. I can't help but relate those two incidents to each other. It all seems intriguing, don't you think?" he added. Voldemort's eyes gleamed as he seemed to pay more attention to Draco's words.

"I was right." Voldemort announced after a long pause "You_ are_ smarter than your father." he added.

"But are you a coward like him, Draco?" He asked.

"I don't think so." Draco replied carefully.

"Good." Voldemort muttered as he stood up and started pacing the floor carefully. "You see, there is something that belongs to me...a cup. But a rather valuable one. And it does indeed exist in the Lestrange vault. But it can't remain there for long." he explained.

"That mission your aunt had sent you on. Put it on hold. I want you, accompanied by her, to head to Gringots. First thing in the morning. Retrieve that cup and bring it back to the Manor." Voldemort dictated. "That would be all." he turned his back to Draco, bringing their meeting to an end.

"And, Draco." he called after Draco's departing frame. "When I say, guard this cup with your life. I do mean your life will be nothing but a cheap price to pay if anything happens to that cup." he warned.

Draco mumbled a barely audible "Yes." before leaving and closing the door behind him.

For the first time ever since he stepped into that room, Draco was able to breath properly. He walked in there unsure whether or not he was going to leave that room alive. But things went much better than he had expected. He had only wanted to make sure the thing Hermione had been talking about did exist in the Lestrange Vault. But he hadn't expected the mission that had been assigned to him and he couldn't tell whether it would complicate the matter or make it easier. And first thing in the morning! That gave him very little time to fly Hermione back to the Order and then go back to the manor to get some rest. The sun was already going down.

Hermione jumped in surprise as the door opened suddenly and Malfoy walked in. She had contemplated going out to find him but the last time she went out was disastrous. And that thing he said before leaving about getting killed was worrying her sick. When he finally walked in the room in one piece, she sighed in relief.

"Care to explain what's happening?" she demanded, glaring at him.

"That thing you're looking for, does it happen to be a cup?" Draco asked.

_How did he know!_ Hermione looked at him in disbelief.

"It..could be, but how did you know?" Hermione did her best to sound believable.

Draco's paused for a minute, he looked at her in confusion then his expression changed as if he had just realized something.

"One would think you'd get better at lying by time." he grimaced at her. "You knew it was a cup all along. But you couldn't trust me enough to tell me." he added.

"Look..I didn't..." Hermione started to explain.

"_Don't._" he raised his hand in a motion to stop her, closing his eyes and looking down for a moment before he looked back at her.

"I had a...discussion with the Dark Lord. He says there's a cup that belongs to him in the Lestrange vault. He wants me to go with my aunt to Gringots and bring the cup here. He doesn't think it's safe to keep it in Gringots anymore. He also made it very clear that if anything happens to the cup then I'm dead." he explained briefly.  
>"I'm supposed to do this first thing in the morning. So I have to fly you back to that house as soon as possible. Get ready." he ordered.<p>

"If the information was only mine, I would've shared it with you but I couldn't." Hermione admitted, ignoring what he was saying.

Later on she would freak out about the fact that he risked talking to Voldemort about what she had told him, but first things first. At this point she knew that no matter what past they had shared, she did trust Malfoy now. So far he hadn't done anything to lose her trust and everything to earn it. But she couldn't help but be careful about how much information she could share with him. Her number one loyalty was to the order and she had to act accordingly.

"And how could you talk to him about something like that? What did you say to him, Malfoy? What did he tell you?" Hermione demanded, firing one question after the other.

He didn't reply, instead he stood up and walked away from her, getting his broomstick out of its cupboard once more. He opened on of the drawers in his bedside table and started fiddling with something it. Hermione stood behind him, frustrated at the way he was ignoring her. She pulled his arm forcefully and he turned around, looking at her coldly.

"Draco, I do trust you." she insisted.

"That sounds nice, too bad I don't believe you." he replied dryly, snatching his arm away from her and picking up his broomstick.

"Let's go." he ordered sternly, looking back at her over his shoulder as he mounted his broomstick.

"Do I need to put on the cloak?" she asked.

"No." he shook his head briefly. She mounted the broomstick and this time he was the one to flinch when she touched his shoulder. Alarmed at the muffled groan that came from him when she touched his shoulder, Hermione's hand flew away from his shoulder. Reluctantly, she leaned closer and her hand clutched his waist instead.


	20. That Thing You Do

**A/N: Another tricky chapter for me. I originally wrote a very long chapter that included a more detailed version of Malfoy's plan. As well as most of the discussions they had with him about it but I found it too long and I was afraid I'd bore you with too much details. However, the plan is perfectly cleared up in future chapter. So rest assured for I will not let this be a cliffhanger or a plot hole. :)**

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><p>Draco never hated flying as much as did at that very moment. He had planned on flying them to safe distance from the Manor and then they would apparate, but that safe distance seemed too much for him. His arm was sore and more than once he almost lost control over the broomstick. Yet, what unsettled him the most was Hermione's frame pressed against his back. <em>Was it even possible to be distracted by somebody's breathing?<em>  
>He brought the broomstick to an abrupt halt, descending with great speed that only caused Hermione to lean closer...if such a thing was physically possible.<p>

Hermione had to hold her breath to prevent the surprised gasp that almost escaped her mouth at their sudden landing. Malfoy was probably provoking her like he did last time, she won't let him do it. She looked back and the top of the Manor was still visible.

"I thought you said we'll fly until we can't see the Manor anymore, I can still see it." she said as she got off the broomstick.

"Change in plan, we'll apparate from here." he replied.

"But why?" Hermione looked at him in confusion.

"I can't fly any longer. Let's go." He replied briefly, grabbing her arm more forcefully than he had intended to.

She glared at him but didn't snatch her arm away. Then came the familiar feeling of being forced down a ridiculously tight rubber tube. They made their way to the house silently and as they entered it, Hermione started tapping her wand on the floor in what seemed like a pattern.

When they descended the stairs Molly Weasly was the only person in the living room. She was holding her wand in front of her protectively but then she lowered it at the sight of Hermione.

"You're back!" she smiled widely at Hermione as she gave her a brief but tight hug. Looking at the boy standing behind Hermione, she gave a little awkward smile.

"Sit down I'll make you some tea." she said as she headed to the kitchen. "Lupin, Arthur and Tonks are out. Fleur went to visit her parents yesterday and Bill's with her. Ginny and Harry are upstairs and Ron...well he said he needed some fresh air. He spends most of the time alone lately, I'm starting to worry for that boy." Molly stared down at the cups she was holding.

"I think he's just stressed by everything that's been happening. We all are." Hermione suggested sympathetically.

She glanced at Malfoy, he had taken off his coat and his injury was now visible through his white shirt. He sat there as still as a marble statue looking at her blankly and she found that she preferred glares, smirks and scowls to icy cold indifference.

Mrs. Weasly offered her a cup of tea which she gladly accepted.

"Oh dear! What happened to you?" Mr.s Weasly squealed looking genuinely worried at the wound she dimly saw through Malfoy's shirt.

"It's healing well." he assured her. She looked like she was going to ask more question about it but she decided against it. Instead, she excused herself saying she was going to let Harry know they were here.

"If you have to feel so antagonized by me then at least don't take it on other people. She was only showing concern!" Hermione muttered in a barely audible voice.

"Number one, it would take a lot more than _you_ to antagonize me. Number two, I believe I was being very polite with her." Malfoy maintained his blank expression, his tone indifferent.

"If your definition of polite is cold and distant, that is!" Hermione scoffed.

"No no no_" Malfoy shook his head"_I am cold and distant with you. But brief and polite with her. Don't mix things, Granger." he corrected.

Before Hermione could reply, Harry and Ginny walked into the living room. After some casual greeting that didn't include Malfoy, Harry asked "So, how did everything go?"

"Well, the cup was indeed in the Lestrange Vault." Hermione replied hesitantly and before she could continue they heard some noise and Tonks was descending the stairs followed by Lupin, Mr. Weasly and Ron.

"Hermione! I didn't expect you to be back so soon." Tonks exclaimed.

"We were lucky." Hermione smiled at her.

"Great, do I take it that our theory was right?" Lupin asked her.

"Yes..but I think a change in plan is needed." Hermione answered.

They all looked at her in confusion, asking the same question silently.

"Well..it was very hard for me to listen to anything important, all the Death Eaters were always gathered in one room that I was never able to enter and when they were out it was hardly safe for me to walk around the house. I almost got caught by one of them." Hermione said. "_But then_, Malfoy decided to pull a little stunt. I think he'd better tell you about that himself." she looked pointedly at Malfoy who frowned at her for a moment before looking back at the people who were staring at him.

"As I've made it very clear more than once. I thought that plan of yours was going to fail miserably. It was very ridiculous to expect her to roam around the house eavesdropping when there was a Death Eater in every corner." He grimaced at the thought. "So I decided to...give her a push." he tried to choose his words carefully. Malfoy started to explain in full details how his meeting with Voldemort went and Hermione seemed to be the one with the most shocked expression among the listeners.

Harry was looking quizzically at Hermione and she knew the reason behind that look. He couldn't believe she actually told Malfoy about the cup and where it was.

There was a long pause where everybody seemed to be trying to understand what they had just heard. "Hermione, were you with him in that...meeting he's talking about? Did you hear what they've said." Harry was the first one to break the silence, he didn't trust Malfoy and he wasn't ashamed of letting everybody know that.

Hermione hesitated for a fleeting second before replying confidently"Of course I was! I was hiding in a..bathroom adjoined to the room they were in."

She exchanged a brief glance with Malfoy who struggled to keep his surprise hidden.

"Honestly, Malfoy. I'm not sure whether I should thank you or strangle you but I'm so tempted to do the latter." Harry frowned at Malfoy.

"I don't remember a time where I didn't feel like strangling you, Potter." Malfoy retorted calmly.

"Well it seems like you were trying to help but I think you just made it worse. Breaking into the Lestrange Vault was hard, but breaking into the Malfoy Manor and coming out alive is just impossible." Harry explained.

"But we don't have to break into the Manor in the first place." Ron finally spoke.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked

"I mean, Malfoy said he and Bellatrix will take the cup from Gringotts and to the Manor. Maybe we could just attack them and take the cup after they leave Gringotts, right before they apparate." Ron suggested enthusiastically.

"What! You are going to kill him!" Hermione shrieked pointing at Malfoy's direction.

"We won't kill him, Hermione." Ron replied impatiently, adding something inaudible under his breath. "We'll just, umm..fake a battle. I hope we get to kill Bellatrix, though." he grimaced.

"I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about, you-know-who. He Said he would kill him if something happened to the cup. Plus, don't you think it would be very suspicious if the cup gets stolen on the very same day they go to retrieve it? Nobody is supposed to know about that mission except two people. You-know-who will definitely suspect Draco and eventually kill him!" Hermione explained, almost frantically.

_Who?_ Harry thought. "_Draco?_" Ron repeated incredulously.

"Hermione is right." Mr. Weasly said. "It is very dangerous and you must know that you-know-who is said to have a very suspicious nature, he would probably kill the boy even out of sheer doubt."

Draco grimaced at being called a boy. "I can confirm the suspicious nature part and would like to add that it's actually a paranoid nature, to be more specific." Draco confirmed. "But I have an idea, a much better one." He added confidently.

"I'm sure we're all thrilled to hear that brilliant idea of yours." Ron spat.

"It goes as follows. My aunt and I will bring back the cup to the Manor. It will remain there for a while, and you'll prepare for a battle. A furious one if I might say. During which we'll stage my mother's death and I'll guide you to where the cup is hidden. So it's a win-win situation." Draco explained.

"You engineered this from the start!" Harry announced "You alarmed him about the cup on purpose because you knew he'd resort to the Manor as a hiding place for it. You did all this to secure your part of the deal, stage your mothers death and to hell with everybody who could die in the process!" Harry was furious, fuming at Malfoy.

"Although, I'd really like to take credit for such a brilliant plan, I can't. The dark Lord could be very unpredictable and I was indeed surprised when he decided to move the cup to the Manor. I don't know what it stands for but obviously it's important to him as it is to you. I'll also have you know that I'm helping you, expecting my mother's safety in return." Malfoy reminded

"And I can't stage a convincing death for her anywhere but during a battle, where death is expected but hardly ever noticed. I'm not trying to trap you because if I wanted to, you'd all be dead by now. You want that cup and I'll help you get it which will not be an easy task, but in return I want to guarantee my mother's safety because I don't know if such a chance will ever come again. Don't blame me for trying to think of plan that doesn't include me getting killed!" he tried to reason with Harry

"A fight outside Gringotts won't be any easier, Harry. This time, Bellatrix won't care about catching you or even fighting us. She has direct orders of guarding the cup with her life so she will probably apparate as soon as she could." Hermione interfered.

Long hours had passed while everybody discussed Malfoy's plan and other possible one. After endless questions and particularly suspicious ones on Harry's side, they all seemed to reach an agreement finally. It was getting late and Malfoy kept checking the clock, wanting to go back to the Manor before anybody noticed his absence. His gaze lingered on Hermione for a while, he wanted to talk to her but not when everybody was staring at him like he just grew a second head. Eventually, he picked up his broomstick and announced that he was leaving.

Hermione watched Malfoy intently while he animatedly discussed his plan with a rather suspicious Lupin. He seemed to have it all covered and she knew she was going to have a long night trying to put all of everybody's doubts to rest. He was actually trying to help them and she wasn't going to let any more voices in her head tell her otherwise. He looked at her for too long before leaving, as if he wanted to say something. She wanted to ask him what was wrong but that would catch everybody's attention since they were all looking at him pointedly.

_Oh let them notice! It's not like I'm doing anything wrong_, Hermione decided finally as he closed the door behind him. She moved to the stairs trying to attract as little attention as possible and failed. As she heard Ron call her name, she pretended not to hear him and climbed the stairs quickly before closing the door.

"Malfoy wait." she called after him. He turned around almost instantly and walked back to her.

"Yes?" he asked.

"What's wrong?" she asked back. "I'm sorry?" his raised an eyebrow at her.

"You looked like you wanted to say something in there, so what is it?" Hermione cleared her question up.

"Why did you lie to them about being with me when I was talking to..him?" he looked at her intently.

"Because they weren't going to believe you otherwise."

"And you want them to?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I do. I told you this before but you wouldn't listen. _I trust you_." Hermione repeated her words in frustration.

"It sounds more believable than the last time you said it." he nodded slightly.

"It's true now and it was true then, I don't care whether or not you believe it." she lifted her chin up defiantly.

He raised his hand, tracing her jawline with his fingers and then moving down to the hollow of her throat. He bowed his head down, bringing his lips closer to her ear.

"I particularly like it when you do that." he whispered into her ear.

A shiver ran through Hermione's body as Malfoy's words slid through her ear. She was too aware of him, his lips brushing against her ears, his hand resting at the base of her throat. He raised his head to look at her and this time it was Hermione who clutched the lapel of his coat and pulled him closer. Desperate to experiment with the physical chemistry that kept nudging at the pit of her stomach every time she was close to Malfoy. Just one try to see how it would feel. But then she heard the door open and he pulled back abruptly. Tonks hovered at the door awkwardly.


	21. Stay?

**A/N: This is not really related to the story but it's for all of you who asked about my other story _The Golden Repair_. I haven't deleted it for good, I just took it down for a while because I'm editing some things in the plot and it will be published again as soon as possible. Sorry for the inconvenience. :)**

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><p>"Hermione...we were...umm..worried when you went out suddenly and we..I..um...I'll go back inside." Tonks stammered.<p>

Her eyes kept travelling between Malfoy who stood there impassively and Hermione who turned a deep shade of looked at them for a minute waiting for any response but they both remained silent so she went back to the house.

Draco had hardly ever given his cousin much thought. His father had told him that his mother was closer to her sister Andromeda when they were younger. And his mother's persistent silence every time her estranged sister was mentioned confirmed his father's words.

His aunt Bellatrix though couldn't keep her mouth shut once Andromeda's name was mentioned. Not only had she indulged in calling her sister every filthy name there was. But she also ranted over and over about how she longed to kill her daughter. Bellatrix regarded Nymphadora as an offense to the Black family, unworthy of the Black blood that ran through her veins, and she seemed so determined on spilling that blood.

Despite never having any tendencies to share his aunt's views about his cousin. He felt so tempted to hex her departing frame as she walked back into that house, for nothing except her horrible timing.

He was finally starting to think that he wasn't fighting for a lost cause after all. When Hermione said she trusted him, it sounded too sincere for him to argue. And then she did that thing with her chin and he was able to see the full length of her throat. It was that state of hyper vigilance again. But this time her eyes weren't wide with shock like last time. All he could see was silent anticipation. Then she clutched his coat, was she panicking and trying to push him away? Or was she actually pulling him closer?

He could've known if his bloody cousin hadn't materialized out of thin air, stammering and blushing like some schoolgirl! Draco sighed in exasperation at the second time that a Black woman displayed horrendous sense of timing.

Hermione waited for Malfoy to say something but he was just staring at nothing in particular over her shoulder. She took a step forward and he stepped back instantly. His eyes were still darker than usual and his lips were slightly parted, but not for long. A frown creased his forehead as he pursued his lips firmly and his gaze was once more distant.

"I'll leave now." he announced. And without waiting for her to answer, he left, and Hermione stood there until she was no longer able to see him.

The night was as long as she had expected it to be. Harry was still doubtful and he didn't seem to believe how Hermione wasn't seeing something as crystal clear as the fact that Malfoy was untrustworthy. Neither did he seem to accept Lupin's insistence about the impossibility of manipulating your answers while under Veritaserum.

But dealing with Harry's reluctance was a piece of cake compared to Ron's attitude towards her ever since she walked back into the house. He was driving her mad, blowing hot and cold. One minute he'd dismiss anything she said as if it was too stupid to be considered, the other he'd be singing her praise and remembering times where her wits got them out of trouble when such talk had no place in their conversation.

Then there was the way he looked at her, as if he was having a debate with himself. One time she could've sworn she had seen the exact minute where his gaze changed from soft and admiring to a heated frown. And the worst part was how she never got any chance to talk to him alone. Ron was her friend and something was troubling him. While everybody was too focused on the war ahead, nobody seemed to have time to pause and look at the people who were in the same room as him.

Nobody looked the same, Tonks was no longer her bubbly chatty self. Lupin always seemed distracted and a frown seemed to have become his trademark expression. Mr. and Mrs. Weasly who seemed like they hardly ever changed, only seemed so because they were trying to stay strong for her family. And Harry looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders while Ginny seemed anxious and edgy most of the time. Even Hermione herself wasn't the same in more ways than she cared to admit.

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><p>"Draco, if anything happens to that cup, we will both face dire consequences. Ones that even I won't be able to protect you from. So I don't care if the Goblins grew wings and started flying or if we see Potter himself, do not let anything distract you. We go in there, we take the cup, and then we apparate back to the Manor the minute we step out of Gringotts. Is that clear?" Bellatrix repeated for the umpteenth time as they prepared to leave the Manor.<p>

When they entered Gringotts apprehension had gotten the best out of her that she almost hexed one of the Goblins for merely saying good morning. She held the cup with great care before putting it in a box. Grabbing Draco's elbow, she strode out of the bank and before he knew it they were apparating back to the Manor.

Draco couldn't help but smile inwardly at how accurate Hermione foresaw the situation. The girl was smarter than his ego allowed him to admit. An asset that usually got on his nerves and maybe even evoked some jealousy in him before, so why was it only evoking admiration now? He didn't know and he didn't dare dwell on feelings he was already doing his best to ignore, and he was succeeding...well almost.

They were heading to Voldemort's chamber and Draco did little effort to clear his mind, it became much easier for him to mask his thoughts ever since his aunt had taught him Occlumency.  
>She knew too much in the process, though, Draco grimaced at the memory.<p>

Without a word, Voldemort extended his hand to Bellatrix who instantly placed the cup in it. Draco mused at how familiar his aunt seemed with the man and how indifferent she seemed to the serpent that lay on the floor next to him. Hadn't he known his aunt well enough, he could've sworn she looked at the man affectionately, but his aunt had a very narrow range of emotions, non of which were remotely positive.

Voldemort snatched the box from Bellatrix's hand, placed the cup in it and walked out of the room followed by them. He stood in the middle of the hall, looking around him with narrowed eyes,as if thinking about something. The men who were gathered in the drawing room as usual all presented themselves in the hall when they saw their lord standing there.

"Go back, all of you." he ordered the men and non of them seemed to think twice before going back to the drawing room.

Draco didn't know if the order included him as well, so he decided to follow his aunt's lead. When Voldemort started climbing the stairs, Bellatrix hesitated for a second. She too couldn't tell whether the order was directed at her. But then she followed her lord, convinced that she was held in higher regard than the rest of his followers.

Voldemort opened room after the other, entering each room and searching it for a while before leaving it. After he had searched almost every room in the Manor, he went back to the hall. He lingered in the library for a while but then he left that room as well. Finally he headed to the room Narcissa Malfoy had kept closed, he opened it and scanned the room carefully.

"What is this room for?" he asked.

"Nothing important, my lord. My sisters says it's a...a family room but it really doesn't hold anything important." Bellatrix replied.

"Maybe it should." Voldemort decided.

Waving his wand at the table that sat next to the fireplace, he sent all the framed pictures that lay there flying to the floor. Placing the box on the table, he started muttering some protective charms over the box. Then he pointed his wand at the window, placing another charm on it.  
>He walked out of the room, closing the door and stood in front of it, aiming one charm after the other at it, some of them were non-verbal, the others were barely audible. When he was finally satisfied with his work he turned around to look at the two people who stood behind him.<p>

"Those charms, are not as strong as I would like them to be. This house does not give me the liberty I need to do so." he announced, as if talking to himself.

"Bellatrix, tell Travers, Macnair and Rookwood that I expect them to stay at the Manor until further notice." he dictated before moving his eyes to Draco.

"Draco, tell Lucius and Narcissa that I expect them to exert more effort in protecting the Manor. More wards, charms, hexes, I don't care what you have to do, protect it as much as possible." he waved his hands in the air impatiently.

"And your search for the Mudblood is becoming less important by time. Leave tonight and you will have two days. Find and bring her to me or come back and stay at the Manor with the rest of your family. Because, Draco, I'm starting to think that you're extending this search on purpose to escape the confines of the Manor for as long as you can." he narrowed his eyes at Draco who opened his mouth to defend himself but refrained as Voldemort turned around and started climbing the stairs back to his chamber.

Draco almost sighed with relief at Voldemort's remark. He always had a thought at the back of his mind, telling him that Voldemort suspected him. But now that Voldemort had voiced his doubts, it was a relief to know that his train of thought was heading in the wrong direction.

Travers, Macnair and Rookwood, Draco repeated the names in his head thoughtfully. He didn't expect Voldemort to choose Travers as one of the men to protect the Manor; he wasn't skilled enough. And he definitely didn't expect him to exclude Antonin Dolohov from this task. He was one of Voldemort's best and most ruthless men as well as one of his most loyal followers, so to see him denied the honor of protecting something that belonged to the Dark Lord was confusing.

"It's weird, isn't it? How the Dark Lord excluded Dolohov from such an important task." Draco whispered to his aunt.

"I don't think any of us is in a place to question the Dark Lord's choices." Bellatrix replied sternly. "But I'll have you know that the Dark Lord no longer trusts Dolohov like before." she added after hesitating for a moment.

"Why?" Draco asked. Bellatrix studied her nephew for a while, deciding whether or not she should tell him.

"Well, it was Dolohov who accompanied Rowle when they were tracking down Potter and his friends after the ministry had fallen. After Rowle's recently discovered betrayal, the Dark Lord started to think that maybe Potter didn't really escape, maybe they helped him." Bellatrix seemed so confident and it occurred to Draco that she planted that theory in the Voldemort's head or at least strongly supported it.

"So the Dark Lord thinks that Dolohov might be a traitor?" Draco pursued

"Something I don't find hard to believe. What filthy excuses for men, they are! I could swear nobody is sincerely loyal to the Dark Lord anymore except our family!" Bellatrix's voice was a mix of pride and resent. Draco nodded silently in response.

He went outside with his parents as they started enhancing the protective shield that engulfed the Manor. Bellatrix followed them, she raised her wand and tried to add a charm of her own to the shield only to have it bounce back at her, missing her head by a few inches and breaking one of the windows behind her. He glanced over at his mother who was grinning childishly as she watched her sister's attempt to impose her authority over the Malfoy Manor literally thrown back at her face.

When they have done the best of their efforts, they went back inside. Draco was shrinking his potion box and placing it in the small bag he was taking with him when he heard a knock at the door. He opened the door to find his mother looking worryingly pale.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"There's nothing I could do actually. I'll just find a place to stay at for a couple of days then I'll say I couldn't find them anywhere." Draco shrugged.

"Draco, I don't like where this is going. It's too dangerous for all of us." Narcissa admitted.

"It is, but it's going to work, trust me." he assured, patting her shoulder.

He tucked his wand in his pocket, grabbed his broomstick in one hand and his bag in the other, pressed a chaste kiss on his mother's forehead before disapparating from the Manor.

* * *

><p>Draco crouched on the floor of the old house. He tapped his wand in a now familiar pattern and then started going down the stairs. Molly and Arthur Weasly were sitting on a couch while Nymphadora and Lupin emerged from the kitchen, each of them holding a sandwich in one hand and a wand in the other. They all looked at him silently, waiting for him to speak.<p>

"We delivered the cup to the Manor this morning." he announced.

"Hermione! Come down, will you?" Nymphadora called suddenly, looking at the direction of the stairs that led to the bedrooms. Minutes later Hermione was descending the stairs followed by Ginny, Harry and Ron.

A moment of awkward silence passed only to be interrupted by Hermione's "You're back!"

"Obviously." Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her.

"Anyway, I'm not staying for long. I just came to tell you that the cup is in the Manor. It's inside a box that had been charmed by the Dark Lord himself to protect it. And placed in a room in the manor that's also protected by charms and spells cast by the Dark Lord. So breaking into that room will take some time. We have also taken great measures in securing the Manor so you have zero to no hope in breaking in there by normal means. You'll have to get in the same way you got out last time, house elves." Draco explained

"But...Dobby died when he helped us escape the last time." Harry said, trying not to dwell on the memory of Dobby's death.

"I'll provide you with two house elves, they will help you get in the house and then they'll stay with my mother at whatever place she stays at, to serve her...that's **if** they survive of course." Draco brooded.

"What about the people in the house? Who will be there?" Lupin asked.

"Well, you'll have to wait until the Dark Lord leaves and I don't know when will that be. But so far the people who are guaranteed to be at the Manor are Macnair, Rookwood, Travers, my father, my aunt, my mother and...me." Draco recited the names.

"Your mother as in somebody disguised as her, right?" Ginny asked.

"Yes." Draco nodded at her.

"You all need to know that, Jugson, the man who will be in her guise. Is a Death Eater who won't hesitate in killing any of you the moment he lays his eyes on you. He will be fighting as viciously as every other Death Eater in the Manor. Placing him under the Imperius curse is only to keep his mouth shut and..well...make him less lethal." he grimaced.

"So when the time is right, don't hesitate in doing what we agreed upon." Draco added, looking directly at Hermione who nodded faintly."The only reason he's not currently fighting with the rest is because he was injured during a raid on one of the Muggle-born houses. He got injured but not before killing the whole family, two parents and two children." he informed.

"Anyway, I'll let you know when the Dark Lord leaves the manor. Till then, just get ready and think of how you'll break the charms that are protecting the room." Everybody seemed to be absorbed in deep conversation and Draco stood up and picked up his things.

Hermione followed him "Are you going back to the manor?" she asked, trying to keep her voice as low as possible.

"No, I'm supposed to spend the next two days looking for you, the Dark lord thinks I'm stalling the search on purpose because I don't want to stay confined to the Manor. So he gave me two days, either I come back with you or I stay at the Manor like everybody else. So I'll probably spend those days at the mansion." he replied.

"Well..um..you know...you could stay here..if you want to." Hermione's eyes kept travelling from Malfoy to her linked hands.

Draco looked over her shoulder to the people who sat behind her. Did he want to stay here? He couldn't deny that he'd prefer Hermione's company to the loneliness of the spacious mansion. But her company came in the same package with the company of people who didn't seem the least bit inviting.

"I'd..really like it if you stayed." Hermione swallowed hard and Draco instantly made up his mind.


	22. Family First, Family Forever

"What happened to 'I won't be staying for long'?" Ron asked as Malfoy put his bag down.

"It's very touching how you remember every word I say, Weasly." Draco sneered at him.

"Get out, Malfoy!" Ron barked at him, standing up, his hands clenched into fists.

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasly warned sternly. "If_" she paused trying to pick the right name "_Draco wishes to stay then he is welcome to do so." she added with a tone of finality that didn't allow anybody else to argue with her.

"Oh, bollocks!" Ron muttered, ignoring the fiery look his mother shot him. He stomped up to his room and slammed the door behind him.

Mrs. Weasly blinked repeatedly for a moment, as if trying to control her reaction to her son's tantrum.

"You could sleep..." she started to suggest.

"Right here." Draco interrupted her "I'm sleeping right here, on that couch." he nodded in the direction of a couch that looked like it had seen better days.  
>He could transform it into something more comfortable but definitely not a bed considering the small space. Sleeping in the living room with absolutely no privacy seemed much more appealing than sharing a room with Potter or Weasly...or as a worst nightmare: both.<p>

"Well, I just think that it's better if..." Mrs. Weasly argued.

"I insist. I'll be more comfortable here." once more, Draco interrupted her.

Hermione wanted to interfere, to tell him that arguing with Mrs. Weasly was not going to get him anywhere. But the older witch seemed to relent, she headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Everybody seemed to loiter in the living room idly, looking at each other. Then Ginny followed her mother, followed by Mr. Weasly. Lupin and Tonks sat on the couch, chatting quietly.

"Harry, shouldn't we go check on Ron?" Hermione asked

"You go, I doubt he'd be willing to talk to me." Harry threw himself on a near chair, frustrated with the passive aggressive attitude Ron had maintained for too long.

"What? Why?" Hermione's brows drew together in confusion.

"It's been the same ever since we left you that day at the Malfoy Manor. He blames me for it." Harry explained.

"Didn't you tell him what I've told you before?" Hermione asked.

"Do you think he's even giving me the chance to explain anything?" Harry frowned.

"I'll try to talk to him then." and with that she climbed the stairs, two steps at a time.

Draco had never felt so out of his element before. He was sitting in a room with people he hardly knew, who had the worst possible idea about him and would probably hex him the minute he turned his back. And why was he putting himself through this when he could simply go back to the Isle of Wight mansion, read something completely uninteresting and then go to sleep out of sheer boredom? Because she'd really like him to stay. Stay alone...while she's comforting Weasly!

Draco frowned intently at the wall across the room. Wondering if they would declare him mental if he went over there and hit his head against it repeatedly in the hope of restoring some of his common sense.

Mr. Weasly was waving his wand at a line of empty plates that floated from the kitchen and landed quietly on the table. Cutlery followed and then Ginny came out, looking intently at a two bowls that floated before her, one of them contained mashed potatoes while the other contained baked beans. The bowls eventually landed on the table with a thud.

"Ginny is working really hard on practicing wandless magic." Tonks remarked as she and Lupin watched Ginny.

"She's making fast progress too." Lupin acknowledged. "Let's eat, I'm starving." he added as he popped the last piece of sandwich in his mouth.

Tonks stood up and looked at Malfoy over her shoulder "Aren't you coming?" she asked

"I'm not hungry." Draco shook his head, his stomach was tightening and eating never seemed less appealing to him.

"Are you trying to say that this smell_" she paused to sniff the air happily "_isn't slightly tempting?"she challenged.

"The food smells great, but..." he started to argue.

"Then it's settled, let's eat." Tonks interrupted him.  
>Malfoy remained fixed in his place for a moment, not showing any intentions to move.<p>

"Molly would be offended if you refused to eat. Are you sure you want to offend her?" Lupin raised an eyebrow at him and Draco decided that he was in no place to offend anybody in this house.

Not only was he outnumbered, but he also didn't want to lose the very little acceptance he was receiving.

Hermione came down, nearly dragging Ron behind her. She took a seat next to Malfoy who was on the receiving end of Ron's glare. Mrs. Weasly started putting a slice of pork pie in ever plate and Draco noted that she was doing it herself, without using magic.

The bowl of baked beans moved around the table and when Hermione pushed it into his hand. He was about to push it pack but then he glanced over Mrs. Weasly who was watching him and decided against it. When everybody seemed to be busy chatting or eating, Draco finally relaxed and started forking at his food.

He almost chocked on a piece of pie when Mrs. Weasly started discussing his cousin's wedding. He didn't know what surprised him more, the fact that they were planning a wedding for an already married couple. Or the fact that those people were mental enough to plan a wedding in such circumstances. The rest of the meal was spent discussing the so called wedding.

When the meal was finally over, Draco couldn't stop himself from raising the plates off the table and sending them to the kitchen, without using his wand. He then looked directly at Ginny who stared at him briefly before her stare turned into a narrow-eyed scowl. Was he trying to show off? Maybe. Was he trying to provoke the youngest Weasly? Probably. But he definitely wasn't trying to be nice as Mrs. Weasly had pointed out.

"A wedding? A bloody wedding!" Draco scoffed as Hermione joined him in the far corner of the living room.

"What is wrong with you? Haven't you heard the word before?" Hermione frowned at him.

"Me? What's wrong with all of you! You actually think this is an appropriate time for a wedding?" Draco fought to keep his voice down. "And aren't those two already married?"

"How do you know?" Hermione's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Bellatrix knows, she was barking mad when she heard about it but I don't know who told her." he explained.

"Well, it's not a wedding exactly, it's just a small celebration. Tonks really wants this and...she deserves to have that memory." Hermione said.

"Yes yes this is very romantic and all, but..when a battle is probably in a few days?" he tried to reason with her.

"That's exactly the point." Hermione nodded "A battle is in a few days and nobody knows whether they're going to get out of it alive. If you knew you'd be dead soon, won't you try to live as much as possible?" she added st the puzzled look on his face.

"That's one way to look at it." he conceded "Nevertheless, you should have told me about that wedding earlier."

"What difference would it make?"

"I don't want to attend any weddings!"

"Why not? Do you have a moral code against fun?"

"No, I have a decent sense of timing where I know when to have fun. Plus, weddings are not my idea of fun."

"_You _are the most infuriating person I've known so far!"

"One more title bestowed on me by the mighty Hermione Granger." Draco waved his hands in the air mockingly. At this point neither of them cared to keep his voice down. Lupin, Tonks and Arthur Weasly seemed to be watching them attentively.

Molly Weasly came down the stairs, informing Draco that he could keep his broomstick and his bag in Harry and Ron's room. Reluctant as he was, he eventually obliged; the living room didn't look like a suitable place to keep his things. He took them and headed upstairs, entering the room to find Potter alone in there. He placed his broomstick carefully next to the other ones and looked around for a place to put his bag.

"Malfoy" Potter called after him as he was about to leave the room.

"The only reason I'm accepting your presence here, is because you lowered your wand that day at the Astronomy Tower" Harry admitted.

"How did you know?" Draco frowned at him.

"It doesn't matter. Why are you here now, Malfoy? And try to be honest for a change." Harry asked, looking directly into Malfoy's eyes as if this would help him determine how truthful the other boy's answer would be.

Draco studied the boy in front of him carefully. Did it matter whether he was honest or not? The boy in front of him didn't show any intentions of believing him, but he decided to answer him anyway. "Some of us have their mothers protect them, others have to protect their mothers." and with that, Draco left the room.


	23. Can You Take A Hint?

**A/N: Sooo...a decent dose of Draco and Hermione in this chapter because I'm in a really good mood! Hope you enjoy it. :)**

* * *

><p>After several attempts, Draco finally managed to transform the couch into a decent one. It was now big enough to accommodate his tall frame. Still, sleeping in the living room where anybody could pass by was irritating him. A good night's sleep wasn't to be expected that night. When everybody was settled in their rooms, he turned off the lights and closed his eyes in a desperate attempt to relax and sleep.<p>

Draco was vaguely aware of his surroundings, he wasn't fully asleep, but he wasn't awake as well. He heard footsteps going down the stairs, careful ones. He reached under the pillow and clutched his wand. A shadow towered over him and Draco jumped off the couch and pointed his wand at the shadow. "Expelliarmus" he said, and nothing happened. The figure in front him didn't even have a wand; it was Hermione, staring at him blankly.

"How skeptic could you be?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

Draco relaxed again, putting his wand away, he sat on the couch and looked up at Hermione.

"What is it Granger? You thought of some new traits about me and couldn't wait till the morning to recite them?" he smirked at her "According to you, I'm juvenile. I'm a coward. I'm also a spoilt brat who happens to be the most infuriating person you've ever known. Oh and of course, skeptic. What else? And please be creative; you're starting to lose your touch."

Hermione frowned at Malfoy, she wasn't planning on picking up a new fight with him. Actually she wasn't planning on talking to him at all; he was supposed to be asleep. She couldn't sleep and she didn't want to wake Ginny up. She wanted to tell him to add 'unreasonably defensive' to the list of traits but she decided against it. She opened her mouth to defend herself but he stood up abruptly.

"You know what? You said that I always manage to come up with insults out of thin air. While actually, you're the one who keeps insulting me at every chance. And this doesn't really surprise me, what actually surprises me is why when you find me so loathsome, that you still asked me to stay?" he narrowed his eyes on her, sounding as furious as he looked.

"I don't find you...loathsome." Hermione contradicted, grimacing at the term he used.

"_Why _did you ask me to stay?" he repeated his question, ignoring what she just said.

Hermione blinked at him, she deliberately avoided asking herself that question because she didn't have a ready answer and she didn't want to dwell on it.

"If you want to leave_"

"Don't dodge the question, Granger. Answer me." he ordered impatiently.

"Well...I thought that if you stayed, you could get to know the members of the order better. We're supposed to be fighting on the same side and it would be pointless if you can't get along. Plus Tonks is your cousin, I thought you should attend her wedding...you've been mixing with the wrong Blacks." she explained

"And you've taken it upon yourself to mend my familiar relationships? This is very kind of you Ms. Granger, but I find it hard to believe. Try another lie." his twisted his mouth sardonically.

"I'm not.." Hermione shook her head. Alright maybe that wasn't the only reason but it was a strong one.

"_Why am I here?_" Draco muttered as he yanked Hermione's arm, nearly slamming her into him.

"I don't know, why are you here?" Hermione challenged, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Because you'd really like it if I stayed." his mouth curved.

"Alright, stay then."

"I didn't say I was leaving. I asked why I'm staying." he pursued

"You're not letting that slip, are you?" Hermione's brows furrowed.

"No such luck." the corner of his mouth tilted and he shook his head.

"I let a couple of questions slip before, so you owe me." she said.

He closed his eyes for a minute before looking directly at her "I don't think I really ever hated you." he said.

"What?" a confused frown creased Hermione's forehead.

"That last question you asked me when I had drunk Veritaserum. That's the answer." he explained "Now you owe me one. So...why am I here."

She paused for a second to gather her wits before replying, her mind was too busy analyzing what he just said.

"You're here because you want to be." she said eventually.

"Alright_" Draco chuckled "_why do you think I want to be here?" he asked

Hermione looked away, she seemed to be really thinking of an answer. Draco's hand reached for her waist, pulling her closer gently.

"Need a hint?" he cocked his head slightly to one side. Hermione stared at Malfoy, not daring to blink. She could feel his hand tensing against her waist. Did she really need a hint?

"Yes.." Hermione whispered.

Heavy footsteps stomped down the stairs and Hermione stepped away immediately. Ginny came down, her hair tousled and her eyes nearly closed, a frown creasing her forehead. She was oblivious to the fact that other people were in the room. She entered the kitchen and they heard some noise and the sound of glass clanking then Ginny emerged from the kitchen again and went back to her room without glancing in their direction.

"We should sleep." Draco announced.

He didn't know whether he should strangle the people who seemed so hell bent on interrupting him, or thank them. It's probably the second, he brooded. Every time his restraint slipped, somebody appeared out of the blue and snapped him back to his right sense, but did they have to be so accurate! Hermione stared at him in disbelief before turning around and climbing the stairs as noisily as her friend just did.

When the sun started rising Draco woke up after no more than a couple of hours of sleep. The lack of sleep he had been subjected to lately was going to be the death of him, he thought grimly. Sneaking into Potter and Weasly's room, he grabbed some clothes from his bag then sneaked out again. He showered and went back to the living room.

Just as he started to sit down he heard some noise, the door opened and somebody started descending the stairs. Draco realized why every time he walked through that door there were people holding their wands at him, because he himself was now instinctively holding his wand defensively in front of him.

Bill took Fleur's hand as she walked down the stairs. His eyes traveled between Draco's face and the hand that was holding his wand.

"Is everybody still sleeping?" Bill asked.

"Probably." Draco replied  
>"I'll go wake them up." he said as he climbed the stairs, not making it clear who he was talking to.<p>

Fleur was looking tentatively at Draco. He could tell she was as uncomfortable as he was. The only encounter he had with the couple wasn't exactly friendly. The awkwardness meter keeps hitting the roof in this house!

The following hours were hectic, the house was buzzing and everybody seemed to be doing something. Draco was trying to fade into the background and avoid attention as much as possible. However, eventually he was needed to help with the extension and transformation charms that were needed to redecorate the house to be more suitable for a celebration.

"Aren't you getting dressed?" Hermione asked after hours of doing her best to avoid any direct contact with Malfoy.

"Weasly and Potter are getting dressed in the room. Why they're getting dressed in the same room is beyond me but I obviously value my privacy more than they do, so I'll wait." Malfoy explained. Hermione nodded at him silently and left.

About an hour later he disappeared into the room. She saw him go in there but it took him too long to get out and she was starting to think he wasn't going to come out at all.

She knocked at the door hesitantly "It's me." she said when he asked who was it then she slid through the door.

Hermione studied Malfoy who wasn't looking at her, instead, he was fiddling with something in his sleeve.

"You usually keep a suit with you when you're on a mission?" she asked. She had expected him to change but she didn't expect seeing him a suit!

"This bag is actually connected to my wardrobe back at home. So I don't really carry any clothes with me; I just summon them." he explained, still looking down at his sleeves. She stepped closer to see what he was so distracted with.

He was trying to attach a pair of cufflinks to his sleeves. The silver cufflinks had a dragon engraved in them, Hermione watched them intently for a minute, it was very impressive how something engraved in such a tiny object as a cufflink, could be so detailed.

"You're struggling with your cufflinks" Hermione remarked.

"Yes?" he asked impatiently.

"I can help with them" she offered hesitantly.

"Of course you can, they're nothing but bloody cuff links!" he exhaled sharply

"Well if that's the case, why can't you attach them?" Hermione challenged.

He finally raised his head to look at her "Because I'm not used to doing it myself." he replied impassively. And then it dawned on Hermione that his mother must have attached them for him before.

Once again, her hands moved as if they had a mind of their own, she reached for the cuff links and Draco's hand withdrew instantly as if it came in contact with an electric current, she could hear him suck in a deep breath. She deftly attached one cufflink and started attaching the other when Draco's hand covered hers. She looked up at him and instantly regretted it; his eyes were darker than usual and they almost blazed. For a minute he just held her hand before pushing it away.

"I can attach the other one." He said hoarsely before stepping back and walking out of the room.

The expansion charms were definitely needed, Draco realized as he scanned the guest filled space. He hadn't expected a lot of people to come and when Bill Weasly and his wife came this morning he thought that was as far as the guest list went. But he was so very wrong. He recognized most of the people in the room, Elphias Doge, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mundungus Fletcher and Rubeus Hagrid. There were three other wizards he couldn't identify and an old couple who seemed like Fleur's parents.

It seemed like everywhere he looked his eyes bumped into Hermione; she wasn't staying in one place! And the way she looked wasn't helping either. She was wearing an off white dress that stopped right before her knees, embroidered with gold. One shoulder was covered with a strap while the other was bare, covered by some locks of her hair that cascaded smoothly over her shoulders.

Draco frowned, irritated at the tug at the pit of his stomach. He couldn't remember noticing so much details about anybody before. His irritated frown changed into a confused one as he saw Hermione make her way to him.

"I thought you were enjoying your solitude too much so I decided to ruin it for you." Hermione said as she stood in front of Malfoy.

"And I thought you were enjoying your party too much so I decided not to ruin it for you." he retorted.

"How thoughtful of you!" she smirked at him. "Do you really need to scowl at people so often? You're scaring off the guests." she added.

"It's become a habit by now. Plus, the guests look too happy for scared people." he looked over her shoulder at the people who seemed so indulged in dancing.

"Yeah, people are usually happy when they're dancing." she remarked. He nodded silently in response.

Hermione hesitated for a second, looking over her shoulder at the people behind her then back at the boy in front of her.

"Do you know how to dance?" she finally asked.

Malfoy stared at her for a minute as if her question surprised him. "Yes." he replied briefly.

"Alright...do you want to dance?" she asked tentatively.

He swallowed hard and his gaze traveled between her and the people behind them. "I don't think so." he shook his head.

"Okay." Hermione mumbled as she turned around to leave.

She tried to suppress the wave of disappointment that hit her. This was perfectly normal and extremely casual, no need to over think the matter. This evening was a special one and it was going great so far so she won't let anything prevent her from enjoying it. She wanted to dance and so she will. She spotted Ron across the room and called his name, he didn't hear her so she walked over to him.

"Why are you standing by yourself?" she asked.

"I was chatting with Fleur but then Bill came and sort of carried her away. Smitten that bloke, I'm telling you." he curved his mouth in bewilderment.

"Well, do you wan..." Hermione started to ask but she stopped abruptly as she felt a hand rest on the small of her back.

"I changed my mind." Malfoy whispered into her ear as he moved away, pulling her with him.


	24. Dance With Me? Stay With Me

Bad timing, Draco scolded himself silently. The music that seemed so casual and cheerful seconds ago was turning into a slow, deliberate tone as Nymphadora and Lupin joined their dancing guests. That's not how he planned to dance with Hermione, he hadn't planned on dancing with her at all! But when he declined her invitation she turned her back and walked away without a backward glance then he heard her call for Weasly and this settled the matter for him.

Hermione looked up at him for a minute and it seemed like they were both having second thoughts. That minute vanished the moment he reached for her waist. She felt like she had been thrown back in time to the previous night. Malfoy reached for her hand and held it up and her other hand slid up his arm and rested at his shoulder. Their steps followed the music silently.

"How's your arm?" Hermione asked, desperate to break the silence.

"A lot better; almost healed." he replied. She nodded slightly in reply.

Silence returned again as Hermione couldn't find anything to say. "Is that the best you could do, Granger?" Malfoy finally spoke.

"What?" Hermione frowned at him

In response, he slid his hand to the small of her back, pulling her closer to him until she had to raise her head to look directly at him.

"Better." he nodded in approval.

Hermione glanced around her and noticed several eyes were looking at them.

"People are...watching." Hermione remarked uneasily.

"Let's give them a show, then." he smiled at her impishly.

Before she could ask what that meant, Hermione's feet weren't touching the ground. Malfoy was holding her by the waist and lifting her up. Surprised by the sudden movement, Hermione clutched his shoulders for support. He twirled and the room blurred before Hermione's eyes. She looked down at him and his eyes were gleaming wickedly.

He lowered her to the floor and her legs didn't seem to cooperate with her. She was no longer aware of the people around them, just of the boy who was too close for her own good. The dance ended too soon for Hermione's liking. They stood for a moment, each of them looking at the other intently.

"I'm glad I changed my mind" Malfoy whispered, his lips brushing against her ear, before stepping away and walking back to the corner he was standing in.

As Hermione walked away, she almost bumped into Harry who was standing next to Ginny. They were both staring at her, Harry's mouth was slightly open while Ginny studied her intently. But then Hermione realized she was the subject of many other stares...and a glare from Ron's direction.  
>Harry mumbled something and went to talk to Hagrid.<p>

"Well?" Ginny asked as soon as Harry left.

"What?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"I don't know but it seems to me like Malfoy just swept you off your feet. Literally and metaphorically speaking. So, care to explain?" Ginny demanded.

"You're reading too much into this, it was just a dance." Hermoine shrugged and nearly ran away from Ginny before she could argue further.

It was past midnight when the last of the guests had left. Molly-being the sort of people who would always have the last word in an argument- had prepared a room for Malfoy. It was a small room full of clutter and she took some time to tidy it up and. It ended up with a decent bed and a chair. Malfoy though, didn't seem to care about the contents of the room. He thought that the fact that it had a door that closed, made it perfect for him.

* * *

><p>"Does anybody else hear that noise?" Bill asked suddenly and everybody went silent, waiting to hear the noise he was talking about, for a minute, nothing happened then they heard a loud thud coming from upstairs<p>

Lupin was the first to move. Everybody grabbed their wands and headed upstairs, the noise was coming from the small room Malfoy was in.  
>As they got closer to Malfoy's room, the noise increased, Hermione could hear Malfoy's voice. Lupin tried opening the door but it wouldn't, so he ordered everybody to step back and pointed his wand at the door, he muttered something under his breath and the door burst open.<p>

What Hermione saw next horrified her, Malfoy was on the bed, his shirt unbuttoned, full of creases and his sleeves rolled up. But what caught her -and everybody's- eye was his arm, the mark on his arm was glowing furiously, it looked like the snake that had been branded into his arm, was moving. His veins throbbed violently.

Suddenly he let out a loud groan and started writhing on the bed in pain. Hermione retreated to a corner in the room, her eyes never leaving the body on the bed.

"Remus, what's happening?" Mrs. Weasly was the first to speak

"I think it's the dark mark." Lupin stated the obvious. "What is wrong?" He asked but Draco just groaned louder, pushing his face into the pillows.

"Nothing important_"Draco muttered "_just another meeting."

"And your mark is...umm..burning because you're not in that meeting?"Tonks asked, Draco nodded faintly in reply.

"Then go!" she said.

"Can't..I'm supposed to be on a mission." Draco answered. "Just get out." he ordered in a barely audible voice.

"_OUT! _GET OUT! ALL OF YOU..._NOW!_" Draco thundered, and just like a child unable to control his magic, the window started opening and then closing violently before the lamp that sat at his bedside table exploded into pieces. He gave an agonized cry before shouting again "JUST GO!"

For a minute, Lupin looked intently at the boy and part of him related to what he was feeling.

"I don't think there's anything we could do, it will eventually come to an end, let's leave." He said decisively, pushing Mrs. Weasly gently out of the room as she was the most reluctant one to leave. The rest of the people who occupied the small space of the room, followed silently. Lupin looked back and saw Hermione standing silently in a corner.

"Hermione, let's go." he said quietly, and she snapped her head at him as if he just brought her back from a far place.

"Yes, I'll be right after you." she mumbled distractedly and with that, Lupin left the room, closing the door behind him.

Hermione looked at Draco who now looked directly at her, his eyes glistening.

"_Get. Out._" he barked at her, pushing his head back, his chest rising up and then falling back down to the bed. His left arm, the one with the mark, was stretched on the bed, his hand clenched into a fist so tight she thought he was going to break his thumb. While his right arm grabbed at the covers tightly. His veins were throbbing visibly.

Finally, Hermione turned around from Malfoy and walked to the door, as she started to open the door she heard him whimper "Stay_" it was almost a whisper and it sounded so desperate but it was all she needed to hear. Hermione raised her wand, whispered a charm at the door to lock it then turned around, picked up the chair that sat in the corner of the room and put it next to the bed.

"If..if...he isn't expecting you to be present in that meeting then why is he summoning you?" Hermione frowned in confusion.

Draco let out a muffled grunt, a mix of pain and frustration at being asked so many questions.

"He's not summoning _me__" he paused to take a deep breath "_he doesn't choose, everybody with a mark..is summoned..whether they're supposed to attend or not."

"When does it stop then?" Hermione grimaced. Voldemort had taken psychopathy to a whole new level.

"When the meeting ends" Malfoy muttered after a long moment of silence.

Sitting on the chair, she noticed that Malfoy wasn't writhing anymore, he was just trembling slightly now, "Did it stop?" she asked hopefully.

"No, it ebbs and flows" he shook his head.

Hermione looked at him as he closed his eyes, he looked paler than he originally was, sweat was covering his face and her hand almost moved in a now familiar motion to wipe the sweat off, but she had learnt her lesson well. So she just put her hands in her lap and watched as waves of pain came and went.

Ginny walked down the stairs, she had gotten very little sleep, after what happened in Malfoy's room everybody seemed disoriented and they all retired to their rooms. This night she slept in her room alone, she was worried about Hermione. She wasn't fooled by the 'just a dance' response she got from her friend yesterday. Still, the idea of anything happening between two people as opposite as Hermione and Malfoy seemed too impossible for her.

"Ginny dear, wake Hermione up, will you?" her mother interrupted her thoughts.

She went upstairs and tried opening the door but it wouldn't open, a sense of panic started crawling over her, what if he had done something to Hermione? She went back to her room, took her wand and then went back to Malfoy's room, whispering Alohamora at the door, wishing it doesn't burst noisily like it did the last night, and it didn't. The door opened with a brief squeak and Ginny's mouth fell opened at what she saw.

The bed looked like it was a war zone, but it was empty. In the corner of the room, Hermione sat on the floor, cross-legged, her head leaning against the wall, while Malfoy's head was nestled in her lap. One of Hermione's hands were on his chest, covered by his hand, while her other hand rested on his head. Ginny blinked rapidly to make sure this wasn't just her mind playing tricks on her. Then, she closed the door again and went back to the kitchen.


	25. A Certain Step

**A/N: Hello everybody, I'd like to announce that I'm changing my writing format; I got a review on one of my other stories saying that reading the dialogue in italics was confusing and that's not the first review of that sort that I get. So I decided that confusing you guys with cliffies is much more fun than confusing you with fonts. So from now on the dialogue will be in plain font while thoughts and stressed words are in italics. By the time you're reading this chapter, I'll be editing the older ones to suit that new format to avoid inconsistency. Thank you for your time and sorry for any inconvenience. :)**

**P.S: I know I posted this chapter later than I'm used to but in my defense this chapter took a lot of effort and editing. Hope you enjoy it. **

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><p>Hermione opened her eyes lazily at the sound of the door being closed. Last night was going to haunt her for longer than she cared to admit. At some point, the pain attacks came to an end and Malfoy sort of collapsed rather than fell asleep. She freed her hand from underneath his and contemplated whether she could move without waking him up or not. The answer was definitely no, her legs supported his head and there was no way she could move without it hitting the floor.<p>

She sat there silently for a while, her mind raced with everything that's been happening lately as she watched him. She had accused Ginny of reading too much into the matter while actually she was the one who was intentionally reading too little into it. For the sake of her own sanity she refused to dwell over Malfoy's actions, or her reactions to them.

It was those brief moments that drove her mad, and their lack of closure. Every time he stepped closer Hermione knew what would happen next, but she didn't want the anticipation that took over her every time. She wanted back the apathy, despise and occasional fury she usually felt for him. And although the current Malfoy was definitely an improved version of the old one, she was starting to prefer the consistency of that old one to the emotional roller coaster the new one had been putting her through.

The subject of her thoughts started shifting. Opening his eyes slowly, he scanned the room before looking up at her. He held her gaze for a moment and Hermione expected him to move, or rather jump away from her. Instead, he remained very still and closed his eyes again. Malfoy swallowed hard and ran the tip of his tongue between his lips, he took a deep breath and lifted himself off the floor. He sat next to Hermione, his arm barely brushing hers.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked.

"No" he replied, looking in front of him distractedly.

Hermione didn't know what to say, any attempt at comfort on her side would be met with cold distance and she had had enough of that.

"I need a shower" he announced as he stood up and left the room.

Hermione went downstairs and found everybody already awake. She helped herself to some breakfast and sat down next to Ginny who made some awkward small talk.

"That's a nice wand Hermione, but I believe I haven't seen it with you before." Lupin remarked as he picked up the wand Hermione had placed on the table.

"Yes, it's not my original wand, I lost that one at the Manor...Bellatrix probably broke it." Hermione grimaced at the thought, she loved her first wand; it was the wand that chose her and she had so much memories with it.

"So Dra..Malfoy got me this one instead." Hermione cursed herself silently. She had said his name several times last night that it had become hard for her to switch back to 'Malfoy'.

"It was too powerful at first, but he kept insisting that it suited me. It took me some time to control it but eventually it worked perfectly." she explained.

"Walnut, right?" Lupin asked, inspecting the wand carefully.

"Yes, Walnut, dragon heartstring, 10 inches." she nodded.

"I have to agree with him, it does suit you. Walnut and dragon heartstring are a powerful mix, Walnut is usually associated with highly intelligent witches and wizards, while dragon heartstring allows you to perform the most powerful spells." Lupin agreed as he put the wand down .

_"I'm sure it suits you" _Malfoy's words echoed in her head and she smiled despite herself. He walked down the stairs and everybody was staring at him, not sure if another tantrum was to be expected.

"Feeling better this morning, dear?" Mrs. Weasly asked anxiously. Draco's raised an eyebrow at the older woman._ Dear_! Molly Weasly's kindness discomfited him; he wasn't used to this attitude from anybody except his mother.

"Perfectly fine. Sorry for the...inconvenience." he answered as he poured himself some juice, ignoring how her mouth fell open at his reply.

Draco's patience was gradually slipping as he pretended not to notice how the people in the room kept stealing glances at him. He took his glass and went outside seeking some fresh air. After a while, he heard footsteps behind him, he turned around expecting to see Hermione but he saw Nymphadora instead.

"You frightened everybody with the fits you threw last night." Tonks admitted.

"Not exactly what you expect after a wedding, is it?" Draco twisted his mouth at her.

"Well, last time we had a wedding, the ministry of magic had fallen, so we're kind of used to post-wedding disasters." she grinned at him.

"I have to admit it was a very..different wedding for me to. Usually the bride isn't already married." he smiled humorously at her.

"It was nice having you there, though. The Weaslys are my second family but..it's relieving to know that Sirius wasn't the last sane Black." her expression went grim at the mention of her late cousin. "I don't hate Narcissa...not really. My mother talks about her a lot. Bellatrix, though, is a different story; I won't think twice before cursing her sorry arse." she frowned

"That makes two of you." Draco chuckled "If you're joining them in that upcoming battle you'd better be careful. She's equally determined on getting rid of you." he added more seriously.

"Careful? I'm particularly excited about this battle just because I get to meet her again." Tonks grinned at him.

"So...what caused the change of heart?" she asked after a silent moment.

"What?" Draco frowned in confusion.

"Why did you suddenly decide to switch sides?" she clarified  
>"This question is starting to become redundant." he huffed "I keep telling all of you that I'm trying to keep my mother safe."<p>

"Oookaaaayy." Tonks rolled her eyes.

"_What!_" he said impatiently.

"Nothing..I was just wondering if Narcissa is the only woman you're doing this for." she raised her eyebrow at him.

"Of course she is." Draco replied dryly, his manner once more distant, in a subtle attempt to tell his cousin that her nerve wasn't welcomed.

"Alright."she shrugged impassively and went back inside and he followed her.

Draco sat down on the couch, watching in amusement as Ginny tried to lift a pile of books off the table without using her wand. She was almost scowling at the books, her eyes narrowed and her head slightly bent. Potter was standing in the other corner of the room, watching her as closely as she was watching the books. Draco smirked at the scene, it was such a good chance to irk Potter that he couldn't let it slip. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could, Hermione stepped in front of him.

"I want to talk to you about something." she said as she sat next to him.

"Yes?" he turned his full attention to her.

"I was thinking about a place where your mother could stay and I think I found the perfect place. It used to be my aunt's, but she died when I was ten...I really loved her." Hermione smiled at the memory "She was ten years older than my mother, widowed and had no children. She left us that house and...since my parents aren't in the country anymore, I think it would be a good hiding place for your mother." she explained.

"This sounds good, where is it?" Draco asked.

"Gladstone avenue, Chester." she informed.

"Alright_" Draco nodded "_thank you." he mumbled as she stood up and Hermione nodded faintly in response.

Hermione was walking out of her room when she bumped into Malfoy. He looked serious and a frown creased his forehead.

"I was thinking lately and I realized I still don't know what's so important about that cup." he said.

"I told you it could be used as a weapon." Hermione replied carefully.

"Yes, but that doesn't really answer my question. How is it a weapon?" he pursued.

Hermione's eyes traveled between her linked fingers and Malfoy's questioning gaze. She knew that sooner or later that question was coming. But now that it eventually cam she found herself unable to decide whether or not she could tell him. Finally, she grabbed Malfoy's arm and pulled him into the room before closing the door behind them.

"Look, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I'll tell you anyway." Hermione said.

"And there I was, thinking you had an ulterior motive behind pulling me into your room." he smirked at her.

"Too bad I'll have to disappoint you." she scowled at him.

"You don't." his mouth twisted. "Anyway, tell me about the cup." he said.

"Well...it's a very valuable item for you-know-who"

"I gathered that much, why is it so?"

"Are you familiar with the term Horcrux?"

"Whore..?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her

"God no! Horcrux, as in h-o-r-c-r-u-x" Hermione spelled the word. Malfoy looked up for a minute, forming the word in his head.

"What's that?"

"It's an...umm...it's a form of extremely dark magic; it allows you to fragment your soul."

"I'm not sure I understand" he looked puzzled.

Hermione looked around her for a moment before grabbing a book that lay on her bed. She stepped closer to Malfoy, holding the book.

"Your soul is supposed to be here." she pressed her fingers against Malfoy's chest. "But then, you...transfer a fraction of it here." she held up the book. "So now if I killed you, you still won't die because there's a fraction of your soul preserved in that book." she explained.

Draco gaped at her, he looked down at the hand touching his chest, his gaze traveled to the book and then back to Hermione.

"So part of his soul is in that cup?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Hermione nodded in response.

"Is it the only piece?"

"No..there are others...three were destroyed, but there are still three others, the cup is one of them."

"What are the other two?"

"We're not really sure yet but..." Hermione started to talk but she stopped as Malfoy muttered something inaudible. "What?" she asked.

"The snake, he has a..pet snake. I just know something is ominous about that bloody snake. It's always with him. He talks to it, pets it, always keeps it by his side...refers to it as a she. And it acts..humanly. I was starting to think she was an animagus." a mix of concentration and disgust took over Draco's expression as he kept remembering every time he saw Voldemort with his snake. Now with everything Hermione just said, he was almost positive the snake had part of Voldemort's soul in it.

"Actually, we think it _is_ one of the Horcruxes." Hermione frowned, she couldn't help but be impressed by how fast he came to the conclusion.

"So technically speaking, we're fighting an immortal man." Malfoy grimaced. Hermione paused for a minute before replying..._did he just say 'we'?  
><em>

"If all of the pieces are destroyed then he's as mortal as any of us, a lot more mortal actually." Hermione said.

Draco pondered over her answer for a while trying to tell whether she actually believed what she was saying or was just trying to be optimistic.

"Alright, the cup, the snake, what else?" he asked

"We don't know yet."

"And how do you plan on finding something you don't know about?"

"We're still trying to figure that out." she admitted.

"And what do you do to..kill them?"

"They can't be destroyed by normal means, it's very strong magic and it requires something equally strong to destroy it. Basilik venom for example."

"Why Basilik venom in particular?"

"Because it's the most powerful venom ever known. It only has one antidote and it's very rare." Hermione replied

"No it's not. It's not the most powerful." Draco shook his head.

"I'm sure it is." Hermione nodded confidently.

Draco looked like he was going to argue further but then he decided against it.

"Never mind." Draco said distractedly as something caught his attention.

"What's 'Pride and Prejudice'?" he asked as he took the book from Hermione's hand and started inspecting it.

"It's just a book..a Muggle book." Hermione replied, reaching for the book, but Draco moved the hand that was holding the book further and his other hand pushed Hermione's hand away.

"Interesting..." he murmured as he started flipping through the pages. He started reading the first line his eyes fell on.

"To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love" he read aloud then instantly regretted it.

He heard Hermione suck in a breath sharply and looked up at her. Her lower lip was trapped between her teeth, her eyes wide and her hands clenched into fists.

She hesitated for a moment before walking forward, with one hand on her waist she extended the other hand to Draco. She blinked a couple of times before speaking.

"Give me the book." she ordered, lifting her chin up.

"Did you just do that on purpose?" Draco asked as he stepped closer, his eyes lingering on her throat.

"What? No!" Hermione frowned at him.

"Too bad, I was hoping you'd say yes." his eyes gleamed mischievously as he bent his head down, bringing his lips closer to Hermione's.

A loud thud came from downstairs followed by a high-pitched scream.

Draco groaned "This is becoming _extremely_ infuriating." he muttered as he opened the door and descended the stairs followed by Hermione.


	26. Hot and Cold

**A/N: With this chapter I'm celebrating over 10K views which means _COOKIES FOR EVERYBODY_! I hope those of you who are reading this now have enjoyed the story so far. :)**

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><p>"What happened?" Draco asked as his eyes scanned the room.<p>

"Ginny was just..trying something." Mr. Weasly replied. Draco's eyes moved between Mr. Weasly and the heavy wooden shelf that lay on the floor surrounded by several pans and pots.

"Trying to what? Kill somebody?" Draco raised an eyebrow at Ginny.

"Maybe I'm practicing for you, Malfoy." Ginny sneered at him

"Then you're doing a terrible job." Draco smirked at her.

"Enough!" Hermione ordered exasperatedly. "Ginny, what happened?" she asked.

"I was trying to move the shelf, I was so focused on it that I didn't notice Fleur was standing there and...I'm not really sure what happened. Something distracted me and the shelf fell." Ginny explained, her brows furrowed as she tried to figure out where she went wrong.

"_A shelf_! A whole shelf! You have a hard time moving a couple of books but you think you can move a shelf carrying several pots and pans?" Draco scoffed.

"Will you _shut up_!" Ginny fumed at him

"I could, but it won't change the fact that you're doing this wrong." he shrugged.

"And you're so good at doing this right, Malfoy, aren't you?" Ginny scowled at him.

"Actually, I am." Draco replied matter-of-factly. Directing his attention to the shelf, he frowned for a brief moment before the shelf started to rise off the floor and float back to its place. The pots and pans followed, each of them landing on the shelf with a clank. Draco twisted his mouth snobbishly at Ginny.

"Obnoxious prat!" Ginny muttered, pointing her wand at Draco. Quickly he reached for his own wand and shielded himself from Ginny's spell. Already enraged, Ginny started waving her wand once more but this time it was Lupin who interfered.

"This is _enough_. Lower your wands." Lupin ordered sternly. Ginny hesitated briefly before lowering her wand while Draco still clutched his defensively.

"I don't take orders." Draco lifted his chin in defiance.

Before Lupin could speak, Hermione did "Draco, _please_." she pleaded quietly.

Draco moved his eyes between Ginny, Lupin and Hermione for a long moment. It was one of those few times he heard his name in Hermione's voice and it sounded to good for his own liking. Eventually he did the only thing he could and lowered his wand.  
>Ginny looked in disbelief at Hermione before stomping back to her room, already having enough of Malfoy's company.<p>

"Where's everybody else?" Hermione asked, trying to change the subject.

"Bill and Tonks are out, they're trying to get the latest news and Molly is having some rest; she'd been having very little sleep lately." Mr. Weasly replied.

"What about Harry and Ron?" she asked

"They're outside...I think they have a lot of things to talk about." he explained.

Harry and Ron entered the house hours later. Followed by Tonks and Bill, informing them that the Death Eater Yaxley was sent on a mission outside the country. Something Draco found good, seeing that one less Death Eater was definitely an advantage.

"The Dark Lord has become very suspicious lately. Specially of Dolohov; he was sent with Rowle to hunt down Potter and when they came back saying he had escaped he believed them." Draco said "But then Rowle was declared responsible for Granger's escape and the Dark Lord became suspicious of Dolohov as well. He thinks they helped him escape." he added.

"Yaxley could be a suspect too; he was close to Dolohov." Draco informed after a thoughtful pause. "Plus, when we got news that you were being moved from your home_" he directed his words at Harry "_Yaxley said a different date than the one Snape said. Snape's date turned out to be the real one and Yaxley's information was dismissed as a mistake." he recounted. "In light of current events, I'm pretty sure the Dark Lord linked all those facts together. That's probably why he sent Yaxley away." he speculated.  
>Harry grimaced at the mention of Snape, he just kept proving what a filthy excuse of a man he was.<p>

"How does this affect us?" Lupin asked.

"Well, we could enhance those suspicions." Draco replied "If for any reason Yaxley or Dolohov are present during the skirmish, we could place them under an Imperius curse, just make them fight less furiously. I'm sure somebody will notice and find it odd." he explained. "I can't do it, though; I'll be busy and placing such a strong curse on two people at once is very consuming, I can't do it in the middle of a battle." he shook his head.

"I'll do it." Harry said suddenly, ignoring the way everybody was staring at him.

"Can you even cast it properly?" Draco raised an eyebrow at Harry at Harry

"Want me to show you?" Harry challenged.

"Entertain me, Potter." Draco smirked at him.

Harry started to stand up, pointing his wand at Draco, but Ginny pulled him back to his chair.

"Harry, _no_! He's trying to provoke you, don't give him that satisfaction." Ginny reasoned with Harry.

"_Will everybody stop fighting for the love of Merlin!_" Molly Weasly finally snapped.

It was one of the very rare occasions they saw Mrs. Weasly lose her temper. Hermione was surprised to notice that Malfoy actually flinched and she couldn't help but grin at Mrs. Weasly. In an attempt to to follow the older witch's orders, everybody seemed to scatter around the house for the rest of the day.

In the evening, Draco left the house and went back to the manor, returning back in less than an hour with two house elves. Hermione recognized one of them as the elf who visited Malfoy's room once.

"They're going to obey whatever orders you give them." Draco informed "Just...try to keep at least one of them alive or you'll have a very hard time leaving the manor." he added grimly. Everybody seemed to be studying the tiny elves who seemed uncomfortable with all the attention they were getting.

"Malfoy!" Hermione exclaimed incredulously.

"What?" he frowned at her.

"Did you really have to say that..in front of them?" She asked, glancing at the elves' direction.

"What's your problem?" Draco asked, confused by Hermione's question.

"You think it's perfectly fine to say something like that when they could hear you?" Hermione asked

"I can't see why not." Draco Draco shrugged impassively.

"Incorrigible!" Hermione muttered as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Dinner, everybody." Mrs. Weasly announced loudly, in an attempt to defuse the tension.

After dinner, everybody seemed to be distracted with something, Ginny, Harry and Ron grouped in one of the rooms. Bill and Fleur retired to their room for reasons nobody wanted to dwell on. Arthur and Molly were having tea in the kitchen. Tonks and Lupin sat at the bottom of the stairs talking in a barely audible voice while Draco sat in his usual corner as far away from them as possible, accompanied by Hermione, their earlier argument seemingly dismissed.

"If you're saying you-know-who have become so suspicious of everybody, then how do you know he doesn't suspect you?" Hermione asked.

"I can't say I'm sure but it's highly unlikely that he doubts my loyalty." Draco replied thoughtfully. "The people he ordered to stay at the manor are those he trusted the most, if he didn't trust me then he wouldn't have ordered me to go back to the manor, he could've just sent me away like Dolohov and Yaxley." he said.

"I still think you should be...less suspicious; just to be on the safe side." she insisted.

"Worried for me, Granger." he smirked at her.

Hermione brows furrowed as a hurt expression flashed over her face briefly "Is it that hard to believe?" she asked

"Well..." Draco paused, unable to determine the right answer. Wanting to believe it was something but how truthful it actually was, was another thing.

"Forget it." Hermione dismissed as she stood up to leave. Draco stood up as well, catching Hermione's elbow.

"It is hard to believe." he admitted "But I'll take your word for it." he added.

"Oh how very generous of you to take my word for it!" Hermione scoffed "I'm glad you gave my words the honor of believing them." she smiled at him with fake sweetness.

"Look, I didn't mean to..."

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Hermine snapped at him. "I really am fed up with your attitude, you keep blowing hot and cold and it's bloody confusing!"

"That's not true." Draco contradicted.

"Yes, stand in front of a mirror and keep saying that to yourself, maybe it will become more believable by time." Hermione sneered at him before climbing the stairs and leaving the house, desperate to put as much space between them as possible.

Lupin watched Hermione and Draco's skirmish closely, with a frown creasing his forehead.

"It's alright. Don't worry for Hermione, she can stand up for herself perfectly." Tonks assured as she raised her hands to Lupin's face and averted his attention back to her.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Lupin shook his head.

"You still don't trust Draco, do you?" Tonks asked.

"Not really, but that's not it either." Lupin inclined his head to one side.

"Then what is it?" Tonks was running out of theories.

"It's just that_" Lupin paused, he closed his eyes for a brief moment before taking a deep breath and exhaling it sharply. "_the last two people whom I saw argue so frequently...ended up married." he smiled ruefully at the memory of his late friends.


	27. Unidentified Emotions

**A/N: So I'm later than usual in posting this chapter, I apologize for that. Real life seems to come in the way occasionally! I'm preparing for the battle chapter which is not an easy one for me to write. WHO'S EXCITED? Just me? Cool. *shrugs* **

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><p>Draco spent the rest of the day watching Hermione as she did her best to avoid him. He contemplated talking to her but she demanded an explanation for his attitude. <em>How do you explain something you can't understand in the first place?<em> Draco brooded. Eventually, he gave up on trying to lure her into a casual conversation.

"I'll see how things are going at the Manor and let you know." he said to Lupin who kept pushing him into coming back with a definite date as soon as possible.

Hermione felt a surge of disappointment when she saw Draco walk through the door without a backward glance. His mood swings frustrated her; she didn't know what caused them and it seemed like every time he came near her he entered some sort of a trance. A trance that was always interrupted too soon, and she desperately wanted to know what caused those moment. Maybe then she'd know the reason behind the abrupt change in his manner that usually followed.

Three days have passed and Hermione started to prefer the company of house elves than the questions her friends' company kept bringing. Harry and Ron seemed to be coming up with a new theory about Draco by every passing minute.  
>There was an air of anxiety allover the house. While Bill always sounded so sure that they were going to break into the manor and come back with the cup, Lupin seemed a lot less optimistic. A foreboding voice in Hermione's head kept reminding her of the impossibility of fighting such a battle without some of them at least suffering grave injuries.<br>They were having dinner when they heard the door open and footsteps walked down the stairs. Draco stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"The Dark Lord has left but I don't know for how long so you'll have to be quick." He informed without any introductions or casual greetings. "Tomorrow night would be a good time. As I said before, seven Death Eaters will be at the Manor." he added.

"Who are they again?" Mr. Weasly asked.

"Me, my parents, my aunt, Rookwood, Macnair and Travers." Draco said. "I'm not responsible for any sudden visitors, though." he warned.

"That's going to be easy, they're seven and we're ten; we outnumber them." Ron remarked confidently.

"But you don't out-skill them." Draco countered dryly before turning his attention to Hermione who looked like she was having a hard time swallowing her food.

"My mother and I will be here several hours earlier. So we could move her to your aunt's house and get her acquainted with it." he said and Hermione nodded silently in response.  
>He started climbing the stairs then stopped abruptly and turned around.<p>

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but_" he said as he squeezed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes briefly "_wreak havoc on the manor. You're supposed to be looking for the sword not the cup. It would be too suspicious if you headed directly to the cup." he reminded.

Hermione was fretting all day long. She had hardly slept last night; the idea of another encounter with Narcissa Malfoy where she had to put up with all her prejudices was too much for her to handle. By the time Draco finally arrived, her nervous system was calling her names. She listened to Ginny as she expressed her worries and Tonks dismissed them for the umpteenth time as she as she crossed the living room to where Draco was waiting for her at the top of the stairs. Together, they walked out of the house to the street.

"Miss Granger." Narcissa Malfoy greeted tersely.

"Mrs. Malfoy." Hermion mumbled. _So much for somebody who pretended not to have false prejudices_, Hermione thought.

"Can we apparate or do we have to fly?" Draco asked. Narcissa grimaced at the idea of having to fly again. She sighed in relief when Hermione said that they didn't need to. She resisted the urge to step between her son and the young witch as he took hold of her elbow.

When they reached Hermione's aunt's house, Draco and Narcissa scanned their surroundings carefully. Hermione mused at how similar the two of them looked when they did that. She started trying one key after the other until she finally found the right key. She turned on the lights and started waving her wand around the house, lifting up the white sheets that covered the furniture. Narcissa entered the house, followed by Draco who was carrying her trunk.

Hermione guided Narcissa through the house, taking her upstairs to show her the bedrooms while Draco stayed in the living room. He wandered around the room, pausing at a set of photographs hanging on the wall. There were several pictures of a thin short woman with short brown hair, green eyes and a pointed nose. With her was a tall bulky man with grayish black hair. One of the pictures portrayed the woman in her mid-thirties, she was carrying a grinning toddler with a pair of notably large front teeth.  
>Muggle photographs were a half-hearted attempt at capturing moments, Draco decided as he watched the still pictures intently.<p>

"That's my aunt." Hermione said as she stood behind Draco.

"I know." Draco replied "Where's my mother?" he asked.

"She's upstairs...making some changes to the bedroom." she said with a hint of disapproval in her voice.

"She could be hard to please sometimes." he admitted.

"_Sometimes!_" Hermione scoffed.

Draco twisted his mouth in amusement, the two women held very strong opinions against each other. And although hearing each of them voice her opinions about the others separately was interesting, having the two of them voice their opinions loudly in each others' presence proved to be disastrous. He started to say something but stopped as he saw his mother descending the stairs.

"How do you like the house?" Draco asked his mother avidly.

"Convenient." Narcissa replied with a curt nod.

Hermione frowned at the older woman, she wasn't just rude to her, she was the same with her own son. The cold woman standing in front of her couldn't possibly be the same woman who was almost reduced to tears at the sight of her injured son.

"What's that?" she heard Narcissa's voice ask and she followed her to see what she was asking about.

"That's a fridge." Hermione replied.

"What does it do?" Narcissa asked as she stepped carefully closer to the fridge.

Hermione paused to think for a moment, she had lived with those appliances her whole life but she never had to explain them to anybody.

"It's to..keep the food fresh and..cold." Hermione said hesitantly "You keep here anything that could be spoilt if it stayed uneaten for too long." Hermione added, hoping that her explanation made sense. Narcissa nodded slightly

"Speaking of food, how do you get food here?" Narcissa asked.

"There's a supermarket nearby, you can find most of your needs there. I'll stock the fridge for you now and I'll visit you again soon before it's empty." Hermione answered.

"What did you do about the money?" Hermione asked Draco as Narcissa left the kitchen and started wandering around the house. Draco took out a stack of pounds from his pocket and placed it in Hermione's hand.

"That's too much!" Hermione said. Draco shrugged apologetically.

"You know_" Hermione said after a thoughtful pause "_I think what you're doing for your mother is very impressive." she added tentatively.

"Did some of my actions finally meet your approval?" Draco raised his eyebrow at her "I think I can die in peace now." he twisted his mouth sardonically at her.

"Do you have to belittle or mock everything I say?" Hermione grimaced at him.

Draco cursed himself inwardly. "You're right, I'm sorry." he conceded.

"You know what?" Draco said "Let's repeat that." he suggested. Hermione looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Repeat what you said again and I promise I won't cock it up this time." he explained.

Hermione studied him for a moment before speaking "Alright..I think what you're doing for your mother is impressive." she repeated.

Draco walked towards Hermione purposefully and she stepped back. He moved closer and she found herself trapped between him and the counter behind her. He pressed his lips against the corner of her mouth. "Thank you" he murmured.  
>He felt a shiver run through her back beneath his hand.<br>A loud noise was heard from the living room followed by a high pitched scream then an explosion. Draco jumped away from Hermione and followed his mother's scream.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked his mother who held one hand over her chest while the other was holding her wand tightly.

"What happened?" Hermione asked as she looked at the clouds of smoke emitting from the television.

"That..that...thing_"Narcissa stammered looking at the television. "_I don't know what happened. There was a..a button and I pressed it then I heard a man screaming 'attack' so I stunned him!" Narcissa explained with wide eyes.

"That was probably a movie."

"A what?"

"A movie...it's like a..umm..a story told in pictures..moving pictures" Hermione explained with difficulty.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter." she dismissed, raising her wand at the television trying to fix it. After trying different spells she was finally able to do so.

"I should go to the supermarket now." Hermione announced.

"I'll come with you." Draco offered.

Hermione was about to decline his offer but then Narcissa Malfoy spoke. "I'm sure Ms. Granger can manage on her own, Draco." she said, smiling with exaggerated politeness at Hermione.

"Actually_" Hermione lifted her chin up "_I think it's very nice of Draco to offer coming with me." she looked at Narcissa with equally exaggerated innocence.

"Let's go." she said as she nearly dragged Draco behind her. As they walked to the door, Hermione could swear she heard Narcissa Malfoy's scoff.

"You really need to stop switching between names; it's confusing." Draco said as they walked down the street.

"What names?" Hermione asked.

"Draco, Malfoy." he replied, moving his hands up and down as if weighing the two names.

"They're both yours so it doesn't matter which one I use."

"My question is why not use just one of them."

"I don't know!" Hermione sighed impatiently. "You call me Granger and it sounds...hostile, but you don't see me complaining, do you?"

"Would you prefer it if I used your first name?"

"Yes." Hermione answered Draco's obvious question. "Alright" Draco conceded with a nod.

Hermione was willing to give an arm just to get inside Draco's head right now. Less that fifteen minutes ago he was almost kissing her. Now he's once again casual, discussing something as trivial as what they should be calling each other. But was it really trivial? Hermione contemplated. Probably it was, for him. For her, though, using his first name felt like she was crossing an imaginary line.

They reached the supermarket and Hermione pushed the shopping cart in front of her. Her eyes scanned the several racks. Draco studied the place with unhidden interest, careful not to lose Hermione as she strolled through the aisles.

"What food does your mother hate the most?" Hermione asked.

"So you could buy loads of it?" Draco grinned at her.

"As tempting at this sounds, no." Hermione grinned back at him "I'll just try to stay away from it." she added.

"Well..she really hates fish, so you'd want to stay away from that." he said after a thoughtful pause.

Hermione felt like she had taken a child with her. Draco looked curiously at almost everything the racks held. More than once she found herself suppressing a laugh at the way he held some items and inspected them carefully.  
>But what interested Hermione the most was how Draco reacted to being in the Muggle world, in a supermarket surrounded by Muggles. He wasn't whining, firing looks of contempt at people or even urging her to leave.<p>

They were almost done, When Draco bumped into a girl. Slightly short and thin with long straight dirty blonde hair. She had thin almond-shaped eyes and a nose that seemed to Hermione too tiny for her face. The girl was trying to balance some boxes of cereal along with a carton of milk on one hand while the other hand held only a bottle of shampoo when Draco bumped into her. He crouched down and started retrieving the boxes.

"Thank you." the girl beamed at Draco.

"You're welcome." he replied nonchalantly.

"You're not from here, are you?" the girl asked as she placed the boxes on an empty rack next to her.

"No, we're just visiting a relative." Hermione interrupted Draco before he started speaking. The girl seemed to finally notice her. She glanced at Hermione, her eyes studied her briefly from head to toe before she nodded at her with a faint smile and turned her attention back to Draco.

"I'm Olivia." she said, extending her hand to Draco.

"Draco." he introduced himself, taking a moment longer than usual before releasing her hand.

"Draco.." the girl repeated the name with a tilt of her head "_that's a very unique name." she complimented, twisting a tendril of her hair around her finger. Hermione gaped at the girl, barely holding back a scoff.

"Nice meeting you, Draco." the girl said with a wide smile.

"It was great meeting you too, Olivia. Too bad we're in a hurry." Hermione forced a polite smile on her face as she urged Draco forward. The girl's mouth fell open at what she saw as a rude ending forced on her conversation with Draco.

"Draco Malfoy the gentleman." Hermione mocked under her breath as they headed back to the street, the words coming out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Are we back at the point where nothing I do seems to be good enough?" Draco raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"No..I'm just saying that we're here on a mission, we don't have time for socializing." Hermione replied.

"I wasn't exactly seeking her out. She ran into me." Draco countered.

"It doesn't matter, what I'm trying to say is, we have to be more careful." Hermione explained.

"She hardly looks like she could be one of the Dark Lord's followers in disguise." Draco smirked.

Hermione wanted to retort, to say something about how his skeptic nature jumped out of the window at the sight of a girl but she decided not to pick up a fight. She felt a surge of an unidentified emotion, an unpleasant one. But it wasn't jealousy, Hermione shook her head, definitely not jealousy.


	28. A Sense Of Foreboding

**A/N: Here's a shoutout to my consistent reviewer_ Colubrina_. *hugs, cookies and fluffy stuff***

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><p>Draco watched Hermione's poorly executed pretense in amusement. His ego was so tempted to believe that she was jealous, but the idea sounded too absurd in his head. He decided to push her further.<p>

"I mean, even under the effect of Polyjuice potion, the Dark Lord's followers can't be that nice." Draco remarked innocently.

"Smitten already, Malfoy?" Hermione lifted her eyebrow at him sarcastically.

"Smitten is such a strong word." Draco replied thoughtfully.

"Well she obviously lives around." Hermione deduced, "So if we survive the battle tonight, I promise to help you pull her." she smiled sweetly at him.

"Your sincere interest in improving my love life is heart-warming." Draco drawled, "But I hardly need a wingman to pull a girl, specially that girl." he added with a smirk.

"A wingman?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"Yes..you know, a friend who assists you when you're pulling." Draco explained, "You spend most of your time with boys you should know what a wingman is!" he added, unable to believe that she couldn't understand the term.

"You think I'm a wingman...a wing..man!" Hermione exclaimed indignantly.

"Oh.." Draco's mouth fell slightly open. "It's a term used regardless of the gender." he grinned at her.

Hermione scoffed, Draco saw her as somebody who spent so much time with boys that she had turned into one!

"Giving up your prejudices against Muggles finally?" Hermione asked, trying to stir the conversation into safer waters.

"I think we've covered that part already, blood status makes no difference to me now." Draco replied seriously, "Plus, she looks beautiful enough to disregard her status, don't you think?" he asked, fighting to maintain a serious look.

"Yes, very beautiful indeed." Hermione replied dryly before deciding to let the conversation die there. Draco Malfoy's love life was her last interest.

Draco contemplated whether or not he should pursue the matter further. He wanted to push Hermione to a point where she dropped her indifferent act. But he couldn't do that without risking being too obvious. They continued walking back to the house silently. Draco couldn't hold back a small triumphant laugh that escaped through his lips.

"Are you actually that happy!" Hermione asked incredulously. Draco shrugged in response, still smiling at Hermione. "We're on the verge of a battle for crying out loud!" she cried.

"I'm trying not to think a lot about that" Draco admitted.

_Yes because you're so busy thinking about a certain blonde_, Hermione thought. She couldn't believe he was so excited about the girl they met at the supermarket that he couldn't stop grinning like an idiot all the way back to the house.

"Does shopping usually take so long?" Narcissa Malfoy demanded as Hermione and Draco walked through the door.

"Usually no. But Draco was busy showing off his chivalry." Hermione replied simply as she busied herself with stacking some items in a cupboard.

"I beg your pardon?" Narcissa's shrill voice sounded confused.

"Never mind." Hermione dismissed, "I want to explain to you how Muggle money works." she said.

Narcissa sat at one of the chairs surrounding the small dinning table as Hermione displayed different notes and coins, explaining the value of each one of them. Eventually, Narcissa understood what Hermione spent about an hour trying to explain. Draco left them in the dinning room and started roaming around the house, enjoying the tiny glimpses he got to take at Hermione's life.

When it was time for them to leave, Hermione stood by the door silently, trying not to intrude on what seemed like a private moment between Draco and his mother. She couldn't hear what they were saying but their body language was so intimate. She found herself craving a similar moment with her mother. Tears threatened to escape from her eyes as she considered the possibility of never seeing her parents again.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked a distracted Hermione.

"Nothing, let's go." Hermione mumbled as she walked out of the door.

"If that's how you look when nothing's wrong then I don't want to know how you look when something is." Draco said with a frown.

"Thanks, that's very sweet of you." Hermione said sardonically.

"I didn't mean it that way." Draco huffed, "So what's wrong? Is it something my mother said?" he asked.

"No_" Hermione shook her head "_I should go back now."

"Is it something I said, then?" Draco continued, ignoring her attempts at changing the subject. He started to think pursuing Olivia's matter was a childish move.

"_No!_" Hermione clipped exasperatedly.

"Spit it out, Granger." Draco ordered impatiently.

"I thought you were going to start using my first name." Hermione said.

"No, I asked you if you preferred it if I did." Draco corrected her. "I tried using it but I wasn't comfortable with it." he admitted.

"You tried using it when?" Hermione asked, trying to remember a time when he used her first name.

"In my head." Draco replied simply as if he was just asked a stupid question.

A smile curved Hermione's mouth and it soon developed into an unstoppable laugh as Hermione imagined Draco experimenting with her name and failing miserably at using it.

"What's so funny?" he asked defensively.

"Never mind, let's go; we're going to be late." she urged him.

"Alright_" Draco shrugged "_I'll see you in a couple of hours." he said nonchalantly.

Hermione didn't know if she should say something, good luck..take care..try not to die. Anything was better than just a silent departure.

"Goodbye" she mumbled, extending her hand to Draco who hesitated for a second before taking it. After a brief shake, she pulled her hand back, the sense of foreboding rising to a great level inside her.

The house was broodingly silent. Everybody was worrying about the battle inwardly, trying to look as calm as possible on the outside. When the night was dark enough, Lupin announced that it was time for them to move. Harry, Ron, Ginny, Bill, Tonks and Lupin each held a wand in one hand and a broomstick in the other while the others only held their wands.

They divided themselves into two groups. Molly, Arthur, Bill, Fleur and Tonks went with the first house elf. The rest of them followed with the other elf.

"Lumos" several voices whispered, bringing light to the dim dungeons of the Malfoy Manor. Harry and Ron made their way to the door with ease. Harry pointed his wand at the door, opening it.

"There's a small room at the end of the hall, opposite to the drawing room. Wait for us there." Hermione ordered the house elves who nodded eagerly and vanished into thin air.

Draco watched the man who sat calmly on the chair opposite to him. He heard a loud noise coming from downstairs, followed by the sound of broken glass and realized the battle had already started.

"Drink this." he ordered, pushing a bottle filled with Polyjuice potion into the man's hand. He watched with a disgusted grimace as the man gradually took his mother's form.

"Go to the bathroom and put this on quickly." he ordered once more, pointing at a black dress that lay on the bed. The man obeyed, emerging out of the bathroom after a short while.

"Follow me." Draco muttered as he held his wand in front of him and placed his mother's wand in the man's hand.

Hermione ran away from the range of a spell cast at her by Rookwood. Bellatrix and him were the most vicious ones, while the others seemed to be aiming their wands randomly everywhere, Rookwood and Bellatrix were a lot more accurate.  
>She saw Draco running down the stairs, followed by the fake Narcissa. He whispered something to the older witch and she held her wand up and started aiming curses at the first person in front of her, who happened to be Ron.<p>

Bill and Fleur climbed the stairs two steps as a time, passing by Draco and Narcissa. They started bursting open one door after the other, pretending to be in search of something.  
>Harry and Lupin had Macnair with his back against a wall. Lupin poked his wand into his throat.<p>

"The sword, Gryffindor's sword, where is it?" Harry demanded.

Before Macnair could answer, a stunning spell hit Lupin and he collapsed to the floor. Harry looked back to see Bellatrix, ignoring him and pointing her wand at Lupin. He raised his wand to shield Lupin from her but Tonks was faster. She pointed her wand at Bellatrix's hand and the latter instantly threw the wand away as if she was burnt. She turned around and her eyes gleamed dangerously when she saw Tonks.

Narcissa was sending one curse after the other at Ron and Ginny while Rookwood seemed to follow Hermione persistently wherever she went. Travers and Macnair followed Bill and Fleur around the house until they forced them down the stairs once more. Bill pointed his wand at Travers and sent him flying down the stairs, he hit his head against the wall before falling unconscious.

Molly and Arthur were absorbed in dueling Lucius Malfoy and Draco who stuck to his father's side all the time. Bellatrix seemed to only see Tonks. She forgot about having Harry Potter inside the Malfoy Manor, she even forgot about protecting the cup and focused on pursuing Tonks who was equally focused on pursuing her. Even though her arm was injured, Tonks was fighting ferociously.

Travers regained his consciousness after a while and stood up, trying to regain his balance. He saw Bill and Fleur heading towards the room that held the cup.

"The cup, protect the cup!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

"TRAVERS YOU IDIOT!" Bellatrix roared at him. With a furious wave of her wand, the man flew in the air screaming in pain before falling to the floor.

Draco moved to Narcissa's side and together they headed towards the charmed room. Hermione, Harry and Lupin followed them. What seemed to everybody as three Order members dueling two Death Eaters, was actually Draco providing cover for them as they sent one spell after the other over his shoulder, trying to open the door.  
>Bellatrix finally gave up on chasing Tonks and headed towards the small room. But Tonks had another plan. She ran after her, passing by the Weasly's as they tried to keep the other Death Eaters away from the room. Tonks pointed her wand at one of the huge paintings on the wall and it flew in Bellatrix's direction. She grovelled on the floor and just as the painting flew over her head, she stood up, pointing her wand at Tonks.<p>

"Immobulus." she barked and Tonks stood fixed in her place.

"Avada Ked..." Bellatrix started to say.

"Expelliarmus!" Hermione yelled, Bellatrix's wand flew from her hand and into Hermione's. Without thinking twice, Hermione bent the wand forcefully, breaking it in half and throwing it away. Bellatrix froze in her place with a look of horror on her face as she watched her precious wand being broken by a Mudblood. She let out an animalistic groan, looking around her for a back up wand as she suddenly felt vulnerable without hers. She spotted Travers still lying on the floor, unable to move and headed towards him to take his wand.

Hermione heard a short triumphant laugh next to her. She looked at Harry then at the door and saw it slightly opened.

"Everte Statum" Harry and Lupin said, pointing their wands at Draco and Narcissa who flew into the room. Hermione, Harry, Lupin and Ron who was standing near them, entered the room. Bellatrix's head snapped in the room's direction, when she saw the door opened, she scurried towards it.

"Colloshoo" Tonks muttered with her wand pointed at Bellatrix who stopped in her tracks, trying to move her legs but unable to.

Hermione slammed the room's door behind them. She instantly started moving one piece of furniture after the other in front of the door as a desperate attempt to stall Bellatrix.

"Ron, no!" Hermione warned, but she was too late.

Ron had extended his hand, trying to take the box. He pulled it back instantly with a pained howl, his palm was burnt and covered in blood. He fell to the floor holding his hand and Hermione crouched next to him, trying to heal his hand and failing with every spell she tried. Nothing seemed to work on the severe burn.  
>Hermione looked around her frantically before spotting the curtains. She pointed her wand at one of them and they started shredding. Cutting off a couple of shreds, she started bandaging Ron's hand. Draco who was watching Hermione closely, ducked down to evade a spell that bounced off the box. It forced his attention back to the box.<p>

Harry and Lupin kept trying to break the charms that protected the box. A loud thud came through the door and everybody realized they didn't have much time. Hermione used every protective spell she could think of at the door in order to buy them more time.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Draco hissed in frustration, "Deletrius" he muttered at the box and nothing happened.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to find a spell that would work on the box. "Expulso" he said desperately, almost positive that such a spell would hardly work on a highly protected box. To his surprise, the box started shaking before it burst into pieces. The cup flew out of the box and fell in one of the corners of the room. Harry rushed towards the cup and Hermione followed him. She snatched the cup from his hand and put it in her bag.  
>Lupin called one of the house elves who were hiding behind the curtains fearfully. He ordered him to tell the others to leave as soon as possible and the elf left the room.<p>

"Granger, do it." Draco ordered through gritted teeth. He pointed his wand at Narcissa who was standing motionless in one corner of the room and she started fighting again, aiming her spells at everybody in the room.

"I don't think it's necessary." Hermione insisted.

"Of course it is! I'm outnumbered by you, how suspicious would it look if I come out of this without a scratch?" Draco tried to reason with her.

"Alright...just...let me think." Hermione stammered.

She squeezed the bridge of her nose, every spell she had ever learned seemed to escape her mind. She usually had to stop herself from attacking Draco, not force herself to.  
>She looked up at him and tried to think of a suitable spell. Narcissa's curses were flying over her head, the loud thuds at the door were increasing while Draco and Harry's voice kept urging her. Pressure was surrounding her. Harry pointed his wand at one of the windows, forming a hole in the wall.<p>

"Accio broomstick" he said and a broomstick came flying through the hole he just made.

"Hermione, do you want me to do it instead?" Harry asked, secretly hoping that she'd say yes.

"Don't even think about it, Potter." Draco warned sternly.

"You need to be fast about this." Lupin yelled, getting tired of having to fight off Narcissa.

"Oh bugger!" Ron huffed impatiently. "Diffindo" he barked furiously at Draco's back.

Draco let out a loud agonized groan as he fell to the floor, face down. Hermione gasped in horror as she saw a deep cut, slashing Draco's back diagonally. A loud explosion forced her to look away from him. Bellatrix, unable to open the door with her new useless wand, was finally able to explode the whole wall with the assistance of Rookwood.  
>Everybody's eyes flew to the direction of the explosion and Hermione knew this was the right time for her to proceed with the rest of their plan. She glanced at Narcissa who was still dueling Lupin.<p>

"Fio Glacialis" Hermione cried loudly, pointing her wand at Narcissa. A blast of ice came out of her wand, engulfing the older witch, leaving what looked like an ice statue of her.

"Bombarda Maxima" Tonks yelled from across the hall and Narcissa's statue exploded into tiny pieces, flying everywhere. Everybody seemed to be rendered motionless at the sight of Narcissa's death. Hermione, however, had her eyes fixed on the increasing pool of blood that surrounded Draco's twitching body. The sense of foreboding that haunted her all day long was now justified.

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><p><strong>AN (2): Yes another one! I'm sorry -again- for posting this chapter later than usual. Writing battle scenes takes a lot of time and planning so I had to write this chapter a couple of times. I hope you like it so far. :)**


	29. Unwanted Emotions

"Take the elf and leave. Now." Bill whispered to his parents who reluctantly did so. "Accio broomsticks" he said and several broomsticks hovered over their heads. The sight of broomsticks flying above in the air, alarmed the Death Eaters. Rookwood was the first to move, he aimed his wand at Harry who jumped out of the way quickly.

Battle erupted once more. Harry mounted his broomstick with Ron who was unable to ride his own broomstick with a burnt hand. Hermione looked like she was in a trance as she mounted Lupin's broomstick, clutching his shoulders for support.

Lucius Malfoy stood fixed in his place for too long. Unable to realize what just happened to his wife. He scanned the room looking for Draco until his eyes fell on him, lying in a pool of his own blood. He darted towards his son, sighing audibly in relief when he saw him breathing. He dragged him to a far corner of the room and started casting one spell after the other, trying to stop the flow of blood.

"Avada Kedavra" Bellatrix roared, pointing her wand at Hermione. Lupin instantly flew them away from the spell's direction. "Let's go." he ordered loudly. Harry and Ron flew through the holed wall.

"Fiendfyre" Lupin said, pointing his wand at the group of Death Eaters who stood beneath him. A huge blast of fire covered the room, forcing the Death Eaters to take cover while he flew away.

Bellatrix summoned her own broomstick and followed them without hesitation. Tonks pointed her wand at her, sending a bolt of fire that only burnt the rear of her broomstick. Bill waved his wand at the Manor's door, opening it while Fleur covered their back. Macnair kept aiming one spell after the other at them until one of his spells hit Fleur. Her high-pitched cry echoed in the Manor as stark white ray came out of Macnair's wand, cutting the back of her knee deeply.

Tonks scanned the room briefly. Bellatrix was chasing the others. Travers was nowhere to be seen. Macnair and Rookwood were cornering Ginny.

"Confundo" Tonks said, pointing her wand at the men, "Ginny, let's go." she urged the younger witch who summoned her broomstick and hopped on it.

Tonks was about to fly out of the Manor when she caught a glimpse of the other house elf. Hiding behind a chair unable to move, he was afraid of being seen by Lucius Malfoy who finally managed to put an end to Draco's blood flow and was trying to heal the wound.

She hovered above the house elf and bent down, reaching for the elf, she pulled him up onto the broomstick and flew out of the Manor. Ginny was about to fly through the same door Bill just flew through but it was suddenly slammed in her face. She looked back to find Rookwood pointing his wand at her. She waved her wand at the nearest window and -with great skill- maneuvered herself through the narrow window.

Flying above the manor, she headed to a near forest, only a few miles away from the Manor. She walked aimlessly, searching for the others.

"I thought she was right behind me!" she heard Tonks's voice say. Ginny followed the direction of the voice until she found everybody else gathered.

"Ginny!" Molly Weasly cried with relief, hugging her daughter tightly. "Where were you?" she asked.

"I was..held back" Ginny explained, "I'm alright." she assured, looking at Harry who was gaping at her with impossibly wide eyes.

"Alright, let's leave." Arthur Weasly urged, his hand resting at Ginny's back in what started as a pat.

They divided themselves again into two groups. Arthur, Molly, Tonks and Bill carrying Fleur went back first. Lupin accompanied the rest as they apparated back to their house.

"What did you do with Bellatrix?" Ginny asked as they settled inside the house.

"It took us so long to finally lose her." Harry replied, "We had to literally fly around her in circles until Hermione was able to knock her off her broomstick.

"She's dead?" Ginny sounded so hopeful.

"We don't know, but falling off that height leaves very little other options." Lupin replied before diverting his attention back to healing Fleur's leg. The young witch switched back to her native tongue as she mumbled some words from between agonized whimpers.

Mrs. Weasly and Tonks were trying to heal Ron's hand. Tonks tried several potions Mad-Eye Moody had prepared for them before, but none of them seemed powerful enough to fully heal the burn.

"What happened to Malfoy?" Lupin asked suddenly as if he just remembered the boy.

"He's got a nasty cut on his back but I think he survived. I saw Lucius healing him when I was leaving" Tonks informed, stealing a glance in Hermione's direction. She was sitting silently on one of the couches, her trousers were cut at her knee and covered in blood but she didn't seem to notice.

It was only when Harry asked for the cup for the fourth time that she noticed he was talking to her. She found the cup in her bag after a long search and gave it to him idly. The different whimpers of pain coming from several people in the room, provided appropriate background noise for the ominous thoughts that crowded Hermione's mind. In desperate need of fresh air and space, Hermione headed outside.

Why did she have to be so hesitant in casting a spell herself? Why did every spell she had ever learned have to evade her mind when she needed one? If she was fast enough, Ron wouldn't have had to do it himself. And what about Draco? The voice inside Hermione's head started evoking darker thoughts. The wound on his back looked so deep, it slashed his whole back. What if he was never able to walk again? What if, unlike Tonks's assumption, he didn't survive at all?

_Granger, if I get killed for this, I hope you live with the guilt forever_. Draco's words echoed in her head. Not only was she going to live with the guilt, but it would eventually kill her. Hermione groaned loudly.

"Hermione are you alright?" Tonks's voice sounded genuinely worried. Hermione nearly jumped in surprise, startled by the hand placed on her arm.

"Yes..yes.." Hermione mumbeled.

"You look pale, too pale." Tonks noted, "And your knee is bleeding!" she remarked with surprise.

"It's not grave." Hermione dismissed with a shrug. Her mind too busy to register the pain in her knee.

"Sit down." Tonks ordered with a finality that allowed Hermione no argument.

"The battle went better than expected, don't you think?" Tonks asked as she pointed her wand at Hermione's knee and muttered something under her breath.

Hermione nodded in response, exhaling sharply when she felt sharp stabs of pain as the wound started stitching itself.

"Do you feel like talking?" Tonks asked as she sat on the ground next to Hermione.

"Not really." Hermione admitted.

"Well, I do. So, do you feel like listening?" Tonks pursued.

"Yes." Hermione couldn't help but smile at the witch who seemed to maintain her cheerful nature despite everything.

"You know, Remus and I haven't exactly been all rainbows and butterflies. I had to spend quite a while to come to terms with his rejection." Tonks admitted, "At first, I thought he didn't love me. _Not_ the best feeling to have, I tell you." she grimaced.

"I'm pretty sure he does." Hermione said.

"Yes I know that now. But it took him so much time to let me know that. I didn't understand what was his point in complicating things so much. I still don't, to be honest. Things are a lot more simple from where I stand. I love him, he loves me then there was no reason we shouldn't be together." Tonks explained, waving her hand in the air in frustration. "But he was being his typical self. Worrying and thinking too much for his and my own good." she huffed with a disapproving twist of her mouth.

"Some things need to be given much thought." Hermione contradicted.

"Well, love doesn't. Applying too much logic to love, spoils it." Tonks insisted, "He kept saying things about him being too poor, too old and too dangerous for me. And I _hated_ hearing this! I mean..why would it matter for me how rich or poor he was?" Tonks frowned, unable till this very moment to understand Remus's logic.

"Then he used to make jokes about how Sirius would be flipping mad if he knew Remus was dating his cousin." Tonks giggled. "The dangerous part, however, I did agree with him about at first. It was only when I stayed with him during a full moon that I realized he wasn't as dangerous as he made it sound. Not for me at least." she confided.

"One time, he was trying to convince me of how hopeless he was and he said something about how even the ministry keeps Werewolves hanging between Beast Division and Being Division. And I thought..really, Remus? You actually expect me to abide by ministry classifications in my love life?" Tonks quipped. Her remark earning her a wholehearted laugh from Hermione.

"Anyway, it was a long journey. Not a pleasant one most of the time. But the destination was worth it. So, you see, you have very little control over who you fall in love with." Tonks said. "Look around you, Ginny loves a boy who's dealing with death as an everyday routine. Everybody expected Bill and I to end up together but instead I fell in love with the last person they expected. And then Fleur...she's a Veela for the love of Merlin! She could have almost any man she wants. But she fell for Bill, despite his...accident. She left back the safety of her home, her own family and threw herself into a war she could easily avoid, just to be with him." she went on enthusiastically.

"But what I'm really trying to say is, Hermione. I _do_ know what it feels like to be in love with somebody who doesn't want to be loved." Tonks finally reached the point behind her long talk.

"I don't think..you're..getting this right. I don't..I mean..Draco and I, we're not..." Hermione was finding it hard to phrase her words properly.

"I didn't even mention Draco's name.." Tonks said with a poorly hidden smile.

"Oh..I thought that..you know.." Hermione stammered, color flooding her cheeks.

"It's alright, Hermione. I just..felt like talking." Tonks interrupted Hermione's excuse, placing her hand over the girl's shoulder.

Hermione could hear Tonks talking enthusiastically about her duel with Bellatrix but her mind was elsewhere. She didn't like feeling helpless and trapped in the house. She needed to find a way to see Draco. To at least make sure he survived. It was the sensible thing to do of course. The same thing she'd do for anybody else in his place. Natural human compassion, nothing more.

She only needed to think of a way around the protective wards of the Malfoy Manor. And the fact that Voldemort was probably back there by now, with a handful of Death Eaters...or more. Hermione swallowed hard at the memory of the last time she wandered around the Manor. There was one way into the Manor and as unpleasant the thought was, Hermione needed to pay Narcissa Malfoy a visit.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: To kill or not to kill, that was the question. I had to fight a very strong urge to kill an Order member or two during this battle but then I decided it was too early in the morning to kill anybody. Just thought I'd let you guys know how kind-hearted I really am. \(U_U)/**


	30. Walk?

**A/N: Lots of thanks to StacPolly for her thorough and extremely invaluable critique of the story. :)**

* * *

><p>"Where's Draco?" Narcissa Malfoy asked the moment she opened the door to see Hermione standing there alone. "Has something happened to him? Is he alright? What happened?" she fired one question after the other.<p>

Hermione ignored the fact that the woman hadn't invited her in and walked past her into the house.

"Answer me!" Narcissa ordered impatiently.

"He's alright..I guess. I can't be sure, that's why I'm here.." Hermione mumbeled. She cursed herself for not phrasing her words in a more diplomatic way when she saw the look of horror on Narcissa's face.

"Is he..is he..de..is he still alive?" Narcissa stammered.

"Yes!" Hermione confirmed quickly. _At least I hope so_, she thought grimly. "He was just...injured during the battle. Everything else went fine, though." Hermione recounted.

"Everything else can go to hell!" Narcissa hissed, her poise evaporating into thin air. "Who did what to him?" she demanded.

"Well..as I said, his back was injured. It's a cut but I don't know how deep it went. Neither can we tell exactly who did it, curses were flying everywhere from every wand." Hermione lied through her teeth.

"You're obviously lying on both accounts." Narcissa Malfoy twisted her mouth at Hermione in disapproval. "But I don't have time to extract the truth from you. I need to see Draco." she decided, looking around her frantically, searching for her wand.

"I know, that's why I'm here. I'll come with you." Hermione said.

"I don't think that would be necessary." Narcissa dismissed.

"Well, you can't just apparate to his room like that. What if somebody else was there? Your husband for example? Your sister?" Hermione suggested.

"Is Lucius alright?" Narcissa asked as if she just remembered about her husband.

"Yes." Hermione replied nonchalantly, "But what I'm trying to say is, if you apparate to the Manor and somebody sees you, you'll put all of our lives to danger." Hermione tried to reason with the older witch.

"And what do you suggest?"

Hermione pointed her wand at her bag and summoned the invisibility cloak. "This, it's an invisibility cloak."

"Alright, give it to me." Narcissa extended her hand to Hermione.

"Why?" Hermione clutched the cloak tightly; this was her only way into the Manor.

"Because I'm going alone." Narcissa replied curtly.

"No!" Hermione insisted.

"I don't see why you should be with me." Narcissa argued.

"Well..because I..um..the cloak is valuable and I can't just give it to you like that. It has to be with me." Hermione explained.

"Your so called cloak doesn't interest me. I just want to see my son." Narcissa almost yelled at Hermione.

"We will, so the sooner you accept my offer the closer you get to seeing him." Hermione said calmly.

"Alright." Narcissa huffed, "Let's go." she ordered, her stiff fingers trembled as they closed over Hermione's arm.

They held the cloak tightly over their bodies as Narcissa apparated them to the Manor. Hermione couldn't feel her legs when they arrived at Draco's room. Her vision was blurred and her head was light. She fell to the floor, her legs unable to support her. Apparating with somebody in Narcissa Malfoy's hysteric state was definitely a mistake.

Several minutes passed before she was able to see properly. Her back was resting against the wall. Across from her, she saw Draco lying on his side. He was talking to his mother in a barely audible voice. She could see a bandage covering the wound that stretched across his back.  
>She stood up when her legs finally decided to cooperate. With uncertain steps, she walked towards the bed. Narcissa Malfoy looked up at her and Draco turned his head back with difficulty. He glanced at her briefly before looking in front of him again.<p>

"Why are you here?" he asked dryly.

"I..we..didn't know what happened to you after we left, so I.." Hermione replied, struggling to find her voice.

"You wanted to know whether or not I was dead." Draco cut her off.

"Well, yes..we were worried!" Hermione said indignantly.

Draco scoffed in response. His scoff was soon followed by a muffled moan of pain.

"Leave, please." he pleaded with his mother

"I'll try to come back again soon" Narcissa whispered, running the back of her hand gently over Draco's cheek.

"_No_." Draco said forcefully, "I'll come for you when I can" he promised.

Narcissa looked at her son for a long moment. Contemplating whether or not she should listen to him before she spoke, "Alright, I'll be waiting for you." she conceded.

Hermione felt a mix of several feelings inside her. She was eternally relieved to see Draco was still alive. Frustrated at not being able to talk to him properly with Narcissa never leaving his side. And disappointed by his aggression towards her.  
><em>What did you expect? Hugs and roses?<em> A voice inside Hermione's head mocked. Draco probably thought this was all her fault. And somehow it was. If she had attacked Draco instead of Ron, it could've been a lot more accurate and a lot less lethal.

Narcissa Malfoy reluctantly apparated them back to Hermione's aunt's house. Hermione hovered in front of the door awkwardly. She didn't know if she should say something or just leave. Narcissa sat on a chair, looking at her with a blank expression. Feeling an air of hostility engulfing the older witch, Hermione excused herself and apparated back to the Order's house.

* * *

><p>"This is not working!" Ginny huffed in frustration, "We've been trying to destroy it for sixteen days now. There doesn't seem to be a spell powerful enough to destroy that cup." she whined.<p>

"Kingsley and a couple of aurors are coming tomorrow. If we still couldn't destroy it even with their help then we'll have to find a way into Hogwarts." Lupin said.

"Remus this would be too dangerous, specially for Harry. Hogwarts is now under you-know-who's control." Mrs. Weasly objected.

"There's no other way. If Basilisk venom destroyed one Horcrux then it should be able to destroy the rest." Harry argued.

"We've wasted enough time already. Can the elves apparate us to Hogwarts?" Bill asked.

"No." Hermione spoke finally, "The wards protecting Hogwarts are much stronger than the ones at the Malfoy Manor. I don't think elves can take us there." she explained.

"Can we please have dinner now? I'm starving." Ron pleaded.

And for once, everybody was as hungry as Ron after spending a whole day desperately trying to destroy the wretched cup. Different conversations took place over dinner, ones that Hermione barely took part in. By the time Dinner was finished, everybody looked too tired to function. Even Lupin was falling asleep on the couch he was sitting on.

Hermione glanced at Ginny who was fast asleep on her bed. She envied her for how easily she seemed to fall asleep no matter what was going on around her. She closed her eyes and tried to force some sleep into them. Gory images haunted her. She remembered every time her heart almost stopped during the battle. How she stood fixed with shock when she saw the green ray of light aimed at her from Bellatrix's wand.

She felt as if a hand was closing tightly over her throat. Her heart like it was going to explode. She jumped off the bed suddenly and darted out of the house. The tiny space of the house suffocated her and she sought some fresh air.

Hermione sat on the ground outside the house. She conjured a couple of birds from the tip of her wand and watched as they flew gracefully over her head. Hermione was so absorbed in watching the birds until she heard something move. She stood up abruptly, holding her wand.

"Lumos" she whispered, pointing her wand in front of her. Before Hermione's eyes could register the frame in front of her, her nostrils registered the familiar Cashmeran scent. With every step Draco took, Hermione's eyes widened a bit more.

"Are you going to stop looking at me like you've seen a ghost?" Draco asked with a frown when he stopped in front of her.

"You _do_ look like one!" Hermione exclaimed.

Under the faint light coming from her wand, Draco looked paler than he ever was. His skin had an ashen gray tint. The shadows under his eyes were showing how little sleep he was having.

"Too bad, I always thought you had a thing for my looks." Draco smirked at her.

"Well you obviously lost those. But not your sense of humor, though." Hermioe retorted.

"Lost? So you're admitting that I had them in the first place?" Draco cocked his head to one side.

"Tell me you're not here to pester me, Malfoy. Because it would be really childish if you are." Hermione huffed.

"I'm not. I want to visit my mother and I don't know the place well enough to apparate there on my own." Draco explained, looking more serious now.

_Stop grinning like an idiot_! Hermione berated herself. But her lips didn't cooperate so she put her wand away, hoping that the dark would hide her face. She hadn't expected seeing Draco again anytime soon. Their deal was over, he had ensured his mother's safety and they got the cup. She even doubted she'd ever see him again at all, and for some hideous reason it left her inexplicably bereft.

Hermione rushed back to the house, hastily leaving a note informing the others about her whereabouts. She couldn't decide where to leave it. If Ginny was the first person to see it she would probably freak out. Harry and Ron's reactions wouldn't be any better. She climbed the stairs and fixed the piece of parchment over Lupin and Tonks's door.

She returned back to find Draco drumming his fingers impatiently on one of the walls. He opened his mouth to speak and Hermione knew he was going to whine about her being late. Before he could start, she grabbed his arm and apparated them to her aunt's house.

"I really think I should stay here" Hermione said, standing in front of the house.

"Why? Did the two of you fight.._again_?" Draco asked, huffing in frustration.

"No, but I'd prefer it if I stay here. Your mother and I can't get along even if our lives depended on it." Hermione admitted.

"I know." Draco nodded, "Come in and sit in another room, then." he urged.

"No_" Hermione shook her head, "I'll be fine here, I could use some fresh air." she insisted. She could also use less hostility, less pointed looks and less Narcissa Malfoy in general.

Hermione rested her head against the door and took a deep breath. The night was pleasant, it reminded Hermione of the times when she used to take strolls with her parents along River Dee. Coming back here always reminded her of how much she was missing her parents.

"You are the most absentminded person I've ever seen!" Draco exclaimed, "Have you any idea how long I've been standing here?" he asked in amusement.

"No, not really." Hermione mumbled, looking up at Draco, unaware how much time had passed.

"Aren't you leaving?" he asked.

"Not yet." she replied.

"Why not?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'll take a walk first." Hermione barely stopped herself from offering Draco to join her.

"Alright..goodbye." he nodded at her briefly before a pop announced his departure.

Hermione started strolling down the familiar path. Hoping that by the end of her walk, she could go back to the house and have a decent amount of uninterrupted sleep. She stopped abruptly when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and gasped in surprise when she saw Draco standing there.

"I don't have to go back home now." Draco shrugged, "So..walk?" he tilted his head to one side tentatively.

"Walk.." Hermione murmured, her hand tightening over her belly. Trying to control the butterflies that suddenly decided to soar in her stomach.

* * *

><p><strong>AN (2): I was told that I switch from one POV to the other a lot and that it's best if I stick to one POV or a general narration where I don't share so much of the characters thoughts. Honestly, I'm a bit selfish and I like to write the sort of stories I like reading. And I love seeing the same story from different POVs. So I wanted to know what do you guys think. Do I keep switching between Draco's and Hermione's POVs or do I stop?**


	31. Cold Case Love

**A/N: Dialogue, this chapter probably has more dialogue than all the other chapters combined. However, it's one of my favorites so I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.  
>I would also like to thank you for your feedback about the POV question, it was very helpful. :)<strong>

* * *

><p>"Malfoy, there's a.." Hermione started to speak.<p>

"Draco." Draco interjected, "I'm getting tired of all the name switching and I can't see why you can't use my first name. You also use Nymphadora's family name. Is that a 'call the Blacks by their surname' sort of thing?"

"What? No.." Hermione frowned briefly, surprised at how Draco's mind linked things she would've never linked. "We call her Tonks because she hates her first name." she explained.

"I don't hate mine, I love it, actually. So use it." Draco urged.

"Alright..Draco..have you fell and hit your head when you were young?" she asked

"Several times; I was a hyperactive child." he confided with a smile.

"That explains everything then." she nodded.

"What do you mean by everything?" he asked.

"Everything!" Hermione repeated, "Your whole attitude. Draco, you almost kicked me out of your room around two weeks ago and now you just fancy a walk?" she scoffed. "You have...consistency issues." Hermione concluded.

"Every action I take is justified from my own point of view. I don't have to explain my motives to you all the time." Draco replied defensively.

"Yes you do! When I'm the subject of your mood swings then I have the right to know what causes them." Hermione insisted.

"Alright..I didn't want you in my room when you came with my mother." Draco admitted.

"Yes, you made that very clear. My question is, why?" Hermione asked.

"I was injured, furious, in pain and generally..vulnerable. I didn't want company in that state." Draco explained.

"It..wouldn't have been the first time I saw you like that." Hermione reminded cautiously.

"Exactly. You've already seen too much." Draco sounded displeased with the fact.

"And that's why you keep running away?" Hermione demanded.

"Running away! I don't run away!" Draco replied incredulously.

"Yes you do. We're perfectly fine one minute and then suddenly you're once again that foul loathsome boy I've always known. And I hated that boy." Hermione countered.

"So you..hate me.." Draco frowned at her.

"No! Are you even listening to me? I'm saying that I don't understand why you keep trying to make me hate you." Hermione said with a tone of frustration in her voice.

"I'm not." Draco said.

"Good, because it's not working." Hermione blurted.

"I'm glad it's not." Draco sighed audibly.

"Then stop building walls and hiding behind them." Hermione implored.

"I have nothing to hide from.." Draco raised his chin up defensively.

"Why did you come back, Draco?" Hermione ignored his reply.

"I told you I needed to see my mother." Draco replied.

"Yes but I find it very hard to believe that you couldn't apparate there on your own." Hermione argued.

"Your confidence in my skill is very ego pleasing." Draco smirked at her.

"That's not what I meant." Hermione rolled her eyes at him, "You could've asked asked one of the house elves to bring you here instead of me." she said. "Actually, you could've asked any of the house elves at the Manor to bring you here." she added thoughtfully.

"There are no elves in the Manor." Draco mumbled broodingly.

"What? Linny and Pex were the only house elves in the Manor?" Hermione asked, unable to believe that the Malfoy's were only served by very few elves.

"No, there were several others. But they were killed." Draco explained uneasily.

"Killed!" Hermione gasped, "When? How?"

"The Dark Lord..he was..furious when he knew house elves assisted you so he killed them all." Draco explained grimly.

"That's..that's...it's..brutal!" Hermione stammered, taking sharp breaths from between her words.

"That's him." Draco shrugged.

"Alright" – Hermione took a deep breath to shake off the images Draco's words have formed in her head– "at least you could've asked Linny or Pex to take you to your mother." she said. "Actually I blamed myself for not thinking of asking them to take me to the Manor instead of asking your mother to do so. But I wasn't thinking properly" Hermione confessed.

"And what could have possibly made Hermione Granger lose her wits?" Draco jested

"An idiot! A blithering idiot who keeps running around a simple question so he wouldn't have to answer it." Hermione glowered at Draco.

"What question?" Draco fought to wipe the silly grin off his face.

"You could've came here without me." Hermione said

"I believe so.." Draco conceded.

"Then why didn't you?" Hermione pursued.

Draco looked down at his entwined fingers. He had already exposed too much of himself to Hermione over the course of the short time they've spent together. So why not just say what was on his mind? Because this was hopeless, Draco brooded. He couldn't give a name to the mix of feelings he was having towards the girl standing in front of him, didn't dare to.

He didn't want any of those feelings. Neither could he put his hand on the exact moment where they made their way into his heart. He desperately wanted to go back to a time where he could feel absolutely nothing but sheer apathy towards her. But he couldn't go back in time. And given the fact that the first thing he did when he regained his ability to walk was come for her, he only had the option of moving forward.

"I wanted to see you." Draco confessed, "I almost died, this sort of makes you..view matters differently."

"Draco, this is really not time for vague answers." Hermione almost pleaded.

"But vague is all I have." Draco shrugged helplessly. "It's all over my head. I want to see you, but I don't know why. I desperately wanted to improve the image you had of me, but I don't know why." –Draco moved closer to Hermione. He bent his head down and rested his forehead against hers– "I could kiss you right now, but I wouldn't know why. There's a long list of things that I only have one answer to. And I don't dare even think about it."

"Why not?" Hermione sighed desperately.

"Because what's next, Hermione?" Draco asked, "We are two parallel lines, we might be going in the same direction but we can't meet."

"Why can't you just stay with us?" Hermione argued.

Draco took a step back, his hands still resting on Hermione's waist, "Then what?" he asked.

"Then I don't know! You do whatever it is we're doing. Whether it was searching for Horcrux or dueling some Death Eaters, or..." Hermione started to speak.

"Hermione,_ I_ am a Death Eater." –Draco pulled up his left sleeve forcefully– "Look! Look properly at what you've been turning a blind eye to."

"I can see your mark, Draco. I just can't see why it should define who you are." Hermione said simply, "Even if you chose it at some point, it's a mistake that you've already done enough to correct."

"And what exactly do you suggest?" Draco asked almost sardonically.

"I already told you, stay with us and when the time comes, fight with us." Hermione replied.

"You want me to raise my wand at my own father? Stand in front of him and fight until one of us kills the other?" Draco demanded incredelously.

"It doesn't have to be like that. Why can't you just send him away? With your mother." Hermione tried to reason with him.

"My father is...too scared of the Dark Lord. He's too much of a coward to fathom the idea of betraying him." Draco confided, "That's why I didn't tell him the truth about my mother. I couldn't trust him to hide it well. " he explained. "You haven't seen how he is in the Dark Lord's presence." Draco twisted his mouth in disgust.

"Then he made his choice. He's a grown man, an adult. And he chose his own path. Why do you have to force yourself into it?" Hermione asked.

"Because he's my father. And it doesn't matter how strongly determined you are on demonizing him. I love him and he equally loves me." Draco defended.

"What sort of loving father does this to his own son?" Hermione argued further.

"A mistaken one." Draco replied simply, "Look, you might know what sort of man he is. But you don't know what sort of father he is."

"If he's as good as you make him sound then he should be proud of you when he knows the truth." Hermione said.

"I already have to live with the guilt of not letting him know the truth about my mother. He is barely surviving his wife's death and you want me to add insult to injury and just leave?" Draco countered.

"So when a war eventually erupts, you'll be raising your wand against us..against me?" Hermione's voice came barely audible as if she was speaking to herself.

"No." –Draco shook his head– "Never." he assured.

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I'll go back home and I'll stay there until further notice. If I hear something that I think you should know, I'll inform you. And when a battle finally erupts...I'll just maneuver my way through it."

"This is not the right thing to do, Draco." Hermione insisted.

"It's the best I can do." Draco shrugged apologetically.

Hermione's eyes followed Draco's elusive gaze. Could she really blame him for not wanting to abandon his father? Who knew what she would've done if she was in his place? He had already done a great effort to do the right thing.  
>"<em>If the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right, and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good and kind and brave because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort.<em>" Dumbledore's words echoed in Hermione's head. Draco definitely hadn't made the easy choice, she decided.

"So I won't see you again until..when?" Hermione asked.

"I'll try to contact you with any information I get but.."

"Draco," Hermione cut him off, "when will_ I_ see you again?" she repeated.

"Oh.." Draco nodded slowly, "I really don't know."

"When do you have to go back home then?"

"Not anytime soon."

"Alright, walk with me." she offered.

Had anybody told Hermione a couple of months ago that she would be walking down a path that held such a special place in her heart with none other than Draco Malfoy, she would've declared them mental. For the first time in a long time, she felt young and carefree. She talked a lot about herself and learned even more about the part of Draco that she could never have revealed if he hadn't let her.  
>It was only when the dark started fading that they realized how much they've lost track of time.<p>

"I should go back now, I need some rest." Draco said, stretching his back slightly.

"Alright, I'll..see you when I see you." Hermione mumbled.

"Goodbye." Draco said reluctantly, turning around to leave.

"Wait.." Hermione called after Draco and he instantly turned around, "When you were talking..you..you said something." Hermione paused to clear her throat.

"Something.." Draco repeated slowly.

"Something about...about a kiss." Hermione went on in a barely audible voice, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yes?" Draco asked hoarsely, stepping closer to Hermione.

"Well, I was thinking that...you know...that.." Hermione's voice trailed off.

Draco's gaze burnt into Hermione's eyes for a moment. His hand reached for the small of her back, pulling her closer. His other hand cupped the back of her neck. His thumb brushed the pulsing vein beneath her ear. He ran the tip of his tongue over his lower lip and bowed his head, bringing his lips closer to hers. Hermione's lips parted and she swayed forward instinctively.

"You should know upfront," Draco paused to swallow, "that this kiss doesn't promise any future" he whispered huskily.

"I know." Hermione murmured.

As if he had been waiting for her confirmation. Draco's lips closed over hers. Cold at first then warm under the heat of her own lips. She felt his tongue gliding through her lips. Its tip coaxing her own tongue to come to life. When the kiss lasted for too long for either of them to breathe properly, Draco broke it off.

"Soooo, I don't_ really_ need to rest.." Draco jested, earning himself a loud wholehearted laugh from Hermione.

"Goodnight...or good morning, I'm not really sure." Hermione said, looking at the sky.

"All's well that ends well." Draco murmured, dropping a chaste kiss over Hermione's lips before stepping back and disappearing with a pop.


	32. Sica de Mors

Draco forced himself to focus on the task on hand. He was surrounded by several books, none of them was the book he wanted. His mind kept wandering off to the last time he had seen Hermione, ten days ago. _Giving into your whims never ended up well_, he scolded himself. Why couldn't he just stay at the Manor instead of going back for her? The sense of relief he was having was worth it, he contradicted himself.  
>Now where did they stand? That was the question that irked Draco the most. That, and of course giving a name to the feelings he was struggling with. A name that didn't sound absurd or cause him a panic attack.<p>

His line of thought was interrupted when his eyes fell on the book he was looking for. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Draco smiled triumphantly as he read the book's title to himself. He skimmed through the pages, stopping at one page. His fingers ran along the lines and his brows drew together in concentration.  
>When he was done with the book, he put it back in its place and headed to his father's room. He pressed his ear to the door to make sure the room was empty. Glancing sideways, he opened the door slightly and slipped through it.<p>

"Accio key." he whispered.

Several drawers were opened and over twenty keys flew across the room, landing at Draco's feet noisily. He cursed under his breath angrily as he collected the keys and shoved them in his pockets. With great carefulness, Draco made his way to the cellar.

He waved his wand at the wall at the end of the cellar, mumbling some words. A door started forming in the wall. Draco took out one key after the other and inserted them into the keyhole. It was only after the sixteenth key that he found the right one. He entered the room and lit one of the torches fixed in either sides of the door.

As the dark faded, Draco's eyes scanned the room. The secret room was filled with artifacts and antiques that could put Borgin and Burkes to shame. Several pots, cups, necklaces and sculptures were stacked neatly all over the room. His parents had done a good job at keeping the room hidden and safe against the ministry's surprise inspections in search of rare artifacts related to dark arts.

"Accio dagger" Draco said and a small glass box floated in his direction. The box held a pointed silver dagger inside it. Latin words were carved on the handle and several symbols were carved craftily on the dangerously sharp blade.

Draco took out the dagger and inspected it carefully. He remembered the first time he saw that dagger in his aunt's hand when she was placing it in this room.

"It's called the Sica de Mors. Dagger of Death" she informed, looking at the dagger with reverence.

"Every dagger is a deadly dagger." Draco retorted. Unable to see anything different about the weapon his aunt was almost cradling.

"This one exceeds any other dagger." she insisted, "The blade" -she ran her finger along the length of the blade, careful not to touch it- "it was sharpened by a Manticore's stinger. Do you know what a Manticore is?" she asked.

Draco shrugged indifferently, finding the dagger with the silly name absolutely uninteresting. Bellatrix ignored her nephew's nonchalance.

"It's one of the deadliest beasts ever known to the wizarding world. A lion with a human's head and the tail of a scorpion. No witch or wizard was ever able to kill a Manticore; its skin repels most spells." she explained, "Its sting causes instant death and its poison has no antidote." she added enthusiastically, almost admiring the beast.

"And how exactly was the blade sharpened by a Manticore's stinger if nobody was ever able to kill it? Because I doubt it would be cooperative enough to polish weapons on its leisure time." Draco mocked with a smirk.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Draco." Bellatrix hissed at him, "It was polished by the stinger of a _dead _Manticore. It died of old age. I don't recall who was the first person to posses that Dagger, but it had been a Black family heirloom for so long."

Draco's mind traveled to the present once more. His aunt's story about Manticores was now supported by the information he found in the book. He put the dagger in his pocket and headed back to his room. He wrapped it in a thick piece of leather before going to his father's room and placing the keys back. He needed to see Hermione and tell her about the new information he now had. If a Basilik's poison was strong enough to destroy Horcrux, a Manticore's poison would definitely be more efficient.

The Manor looked eerie, Draco noted grimly as he walked down the stairs. The battle had taken its toll on both the house and its residents. His father locked himself in his room most of the time. His aunt was hysterically vindictive. She kept begging Voldemort to let her go after Hermione. He entered the drawing room, looking for his father. Several men were gathered in the room but not his father, his aunt or the Dark Lord. As he went back upstairs to look for his father in one of the bedrooms, Draco heard his aunt's voice whispering to somebody.

"The boy..he's heading to Hogwarts. I can feel it." Voldemort's voice came barely audible through the door.

"Then let's gather every last one of your servants, my lord, and wait for him there." Bellatrix urged

"The boy is being assisted by people inside the castle." Voldemort informed, "Send an owl to Severus, tell him to search the castle thoroughly. Make sure every witch, wizard and ghost in the castle knows the consequences of assisting Harry Potter."

"My lord, why can't we just wait for him there." Bellatrix pursued hesitantly.

"We need time to gather an army. When Harry Potter is dead, he won't die alone. Every last man, woman and child who ever helped him will die with him. Hogwarts will no longer stand in my way." the contemptuous hiss pierced Draco's ears.

He almost stumbled away from the door. Voldemort's words brought frightening images to his mind. He needed to see Hermione now more than ever. He spent a while looking for his father until he found him eventually in the small room his mother once cherished. The room was dark and if it wasn't for his father's quiet sobs, Draco wouldn't have known he was there.

"Father, what are you doing here?" Draco asked as he crouched on the floor next to Lucius.

He pointed his wand at the lamp in front of them, letting light flood the room. Lucius's bloodshot eyes were staring blankly at Draco as tears ran down his face.

"This is all my fault.." -Lucius inhaled sharply- "I dragged her down with me..I dragged you down.."

"Get up." Draco cut him off sharply, "You shouldn't be sitting here."

"I'm sorry..so sorry" Lucius wept.

Draco ignored his father's apologies. He stood upright and pulled his father up with him. Lucius raised his hand to Draco's face, forcing him to make eye contact.

"Draco...I'm sorry." Lucius's voice almost plead.

Draco stared at his father's glistening eyes, fighting the urge to take out all his bottled up anger on the fragile man in front of him.

"It's too late for that now." Draco said in spite of himself. Instantly regretting his words when his father's sobs grew louder and more desperate.

Their journey back to his father's room took twice the time it usually did. Lucius's legs were too shaky. His weight was braced over Draco's frame as they climbed the stairs. He kept mumbling incoherent words and barely audible apologies that Draco did his best to ignore. As Lucius sat on his bed, Draco opened one of the drawers. He held up a flask and added some drops of it to a glass of water.

"It will help you sleep." Draco explained as he pushed the glass into his father's hands.

Draco watched as his father reluctantly drowned the cup. Several minutes later, he rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. Hastily, Draco headed back to his room. He cast some spells on the door to keep it closed before apparating out of the Manor.

"Where's everybody else?" Draco asked as he saw Molly Weasly sitting alone in the living room.

"Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione are in Hogwarts." Molly informed, "Is something wrong?" she asked warily.

"No, nothing." Draco shook his head distractedly before turning around to leave the house. He ignored the woman's calls after him. A sense of panic started crawling over him. Voldemort was one step ahead of them and they naively fell into his trap. He needed a way into Hogwarts that was as invisible as possible. He apparated back to the Manor and decided to postpone his visit to Hogwarts until everybody was asleep and there was no risk of his absence being noticed.

Time barely moved as Draco sat in the Drawing room. Hearing the other men making speculations about the cup that seemed so valuable for their lord. Some of them tentatively discussed Travers' foolishness during the battle. While others like Yaxley and Dolohov made assumptions about how the course of the battle would've changed had they been there. Everybody seemed to avoid bringing up Narcissa's death in the presence of Bellatrix.

When his aunt finally decided to go to sleep, Draco followed suit. He grabbed a coat quickly and disapparated from the Manor. Minutes later, he was standing in front of Borgin and Burkes. He raised his wand dismissively at old Borgin when he stood up to greet him. He stepped into the huge cabinet, hoping that the one at Hogwarts had not been removed from the room of requirement.

Draco felt the moment his last cell was safely transported into Hogwarts and sighed in relief. He heard some noise outside the cabinet and pressed his ear against the cold metal door. There were several people in whatever room the cabinet was in and Draco considered going back to the Manor. What if the cabinet was now in Snape's office? Then Draco was able to recognize Hermione's familiar voice.

He heard her saying Harry's name and decided that if the room was safe for them then it was probably safe for him too. No sooner had Draco opened the cabinet's door than he closed it again. The moment he was seen by the people in the room, several spells were directed at him. He heard loud noises outside the cabinet then hurrying footsteps started approaching him. Draco held his wand in front of him protectively.

"It's me." Hermione whispered as she opened the door slightly and poked her head inside. Her surprised gasp was lost into Draco's mouth as he cupped her neck and pulled her close for a brief kiss. Careless enough to ignore the fact that only the cabinet's door stood between them and a room full of their classmates.


	33. Blame It On The Nargles

"_Draco_, people!" Hermione whispered her warning.

"Hello people, nice meeting you. I'm Draco." Draco jested.

"I'm not joking, come out." she urged.

"No, you come in." he argued.

"I'm sorry but there are other people in this room who are interested in hearing what you have to say, Malfoy." Ginny appeared out of thin air behind Hermione.

Draco stepped out of the cabinet. "We need to talk." he heard Ginny mutter to Hermione as he walked past them.

"You have to leave." Draco directed his words to Harry.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"The Dark Lord knows you're coming to Hogwarts. He doesn't know you're here yet but he sent orders to Snape to search the castle for you." Draco informed.

"We can't leave, we have to stay here. There's something we're looking for." Hermione said.

"Then you have to take over the castle before he does." Draco replied.

"When's he coming?" Hermione asked.

"_He _is not coming. _They_ are. A whole army. If they entered the castle you'd all be dead before you realize what's happening." Draco explained.

"Well, we're an army as well; we can take them down." Neville said enthusiastically. Approving noises erupted from the students behind him.

"Sure thing, Longbottom. If the Carrows alone forced you to take refugee in the room of requirement then imagine what an army of Death Eaters can do." Draco belittled disdainfully, earning himself several glares and scowls from the students occupying the room.

"When should we expect this army?" Harry demanded.

"A day or two." Draco guessed, "However, if you choose to reveal yourself and take over the castle, expect them in a few hours later. He wants to trap you in Hogwarts so you won't escape this time."

"If Hogwarts is strong enough to trap us then it's strong enough to shield us." Hermione announced suddenly after a long moment of silence.

"What?" Harry and Ron asked at the same time.

"She's trying to say that Hogwarts is safe enough for us to take refugee in." Luna interpreted.

"Marcus, Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, Theo and Pansy." Draco listed the names, "They are the ones who are most likely to fight back along with Snape and the Carrows." he informed.

Harry nodded in acknowledgment. Everybody else seemed indulged in a wide debate over the best way to take over the castle.

"I need to talk to you about something important." Draco said to Hermione as he guided her as far away from the others as possible.

"I thought Pansy Parkinson was your girlfriend." Hermione blurted out before she could stop herself.

"What?" Drack asked, her question taking him by surprise.

"I..that's not important. I just thought that..." Hermione stuttered, cursing herself for saying the first thing that popped in her mind."You wanted to talk about something important, what is it?" she changed the subject.

"Whatever gave you that impression?"

"What impression?"

"That Pansy was my girlfriend."

"Look, it was a silly thing to say in such circumstances. Let it go."

"Hermione, answer me." Draco ordered with a finality in his voice that told Hermione he wasn't going to give up on the answer he demanded.

"People talk, you know. And..the two of you were..a bit too physical in public." Hermione answered.

"You have no idea how tempted I am to be physical in public with you right now." Draco twisted his mouth in a wicked smile.

"Draco!" Hermione tried to glare at him and failed. She bent her head down to hide her now crimson face.

"As much as she wanted to be, Pansy is not my girlfriend." Draco admitted, bending his own head down to take a look at Hermione's face.

Hermione exerted extra effort to wipe the smile that curved her lips, "What about that important thing you wanted to talk about."

"Yes..remember when I told you there was something stronger than the Basilik poison?" Draco reminded her.

"Yes.." Hermione replied, looking more focused now.

"Alright, there's a beast called the Manticore. It's a.." he started to explain.

"I know what a Manticore is. Everybody who ever payed attention to Hagrid would know." Hermione's remark held a not-so-subtle hint of disapproval.

"Do you really think it's time to scold me for my academic performance?" Draco rolled his eyes at her.

"I was just saying." Hermione shrugged.

Draco was about to say something in retort but a loud thud came from the direction of the door. For a moment, everybody froze in their places, glancing at each other. Everybody in the room recognized what was happening; they were all too familiar with the scene. Draco, however, was seeing things from the other side of the wall for the first time. Everybody scurried to find a hiding place, clutching their wands tightly and preparing themselves for a fight. Draco and Hermione hid behind the huge cabinet.

"Go. Now." Hermione whispered to Draco who was staring at the door with a fearful expression on his face.

"After I leave, wait for five or ten minutes then destroy the cabinet." he dictated.

"Yes yes, now leave." Hermione urged.

_Take care of yourself_, Draco thought. He tried to bring himself to say the words but the sounded too intimate for his liking. "Try not to get yourself killed." he advised.

The thuds were getting louder and Draco looked back to see a small crack in the wall. He opened the cabinet's door and stepped inside. Starting to question his choices, wondering if he should leave. As reluctant as he was to leave Hermione there, not knowing whether or not he would see her again, his sense of duty prevailed. He had responsibilities towards his family that he needed to shoulder.

Hermione had a room full of friends and almost a family waiting for her in that old house. His father only had him. Unaware of the inner turmoil he was going through, Hermione kept urging Draco to leave. Making up his mind, Draco bent down and pulled Hermione for what seemed to him like a last kiss. Suddenly a loud crack echoed in the room and the door burst open. Hermione pushed Draco back into the cabinet forcefully and slammed its door shut.

A few minutes later, Draco was back at Borgin and Burkes. "Obliviate" he muttered, pointing his wand at the old man before leaving the shop. His mind was already fogged with speculations about what could happen to the girl he left behind. Unable to go back to the confines of his room, Draco felt an urge to see his mother. He stood in front of the door for too long before she finally opened the door. Never had he seen his mother so ghostly. She looked like she barely ate or slept. When she hugged him tighter than ever, Draco couldn't tell which one of them needed that hug more.

He could see his family torn apart and it stressed him more than anything. The lies he told his mother every time he saw her about his father were becoming more and more redundant. And he knew, he always knew that she didn't believe them but for the sake of her own sanity, she forced herself to believe that her husband was coping well with her so called death.

"How's your father?" Narcissa asked after spending too long interrogating Draco about his own seemingly deteriorating health.

"He's getting better by time." Draco lied.

"I just wish you would tell him, Draco." Narcissa pleaded softly.

"No." Draco shook his head determinedly, "We can't trust him enough with it."

"Don't speak about your father like that!" Narcissa reproved.

"I meant that..he won't be able to hide it well from the others. Specially not the Dark Lord. And now is not the right time" Draco explained.

"Why not?" Narcissa questioned.

"Because there's an impending war, mother! Potter is at Hogwarts. By tomorrow morning at most, we'll be heading there." Draco twisted his mouth grimly.

"And you're going with them?" Narcissa demanded with a horrified look on her face.

"Of course I am." Draco replied.

"Draco don't. Please." Narcissa begged, "Go to Bella, beg her if you have to. She could help you."

Draco scoffed, despite everything his mother still had faith in her sister. "Aunt Bella had been more hysterical than you've ever known her. She keeps telling me that soon _we_ can avenge your death. She _promised_ me there would be a war and that I'll get to be in the front lines." he bit out a nervous laugh.

"Then stay, don't go back to the Manor." Narcissa suggested desperately.

"And what happens to father then?" Draco dismissed her suggestion lightly.

"I don't know!" Narcissa whimpered in frustration. Bending her head down until they almost reached her knees and covering it with her hands.

Draco knelt on the floor in front of his mother. He hugged her, resting his chin on her back.

"I'll be fine. We'll both be fine, I promise." he assured her.

"How am I supposed to know if you're fine? I'm stuck in here with no means of knowing what's happening in our world!" Narcissa snapped, her disapproval of staying in the Muggle world finally showing.

"I'll come for you as soon as the war is over. And if I...can't come. I'll make sure Hermione does." Draco replied.

Narcissa Malfoy pursued her lips in reservation at the mention of Hermione. She could think of a long list of questions that she'd like to ask about that certain girl. The most important one being, where did she stand from her son.

"This girl, she's..." Narcissa started to speak.

"No." Draco cut her off decisively, "I really am not in the mood for talking about that." he stood up to leave.

"You're leaving so soon!" Narcissa protested.

"Nobody will be sleeping at the Manor tonight. I don't want to risk anybody finding out I wasn't in my room." Draco said, raising his head to press a brief kiss into his mother's forehead before apparating back to the Manor.

At Hogwarts, things went fairly better than expected. With very few Death Eaters to fight back, controlling the castle seemed like an easy task. Snape and Alecto Carrow managed to escape, while her brother and the rest of the students affiliated with Voldemort were secured in the dungeons. What wasn't a remotely easy task, was protecting the castle. Even with the ancient charms and wards placed over Hogwarts, it wasn't enough to protect them against the forthcoming attacks.

Professor Mcgongall was assigning tasks to everybody. The great hall looked like a beehive. Hermione stood in silence like the rest of the students, each of them eagerly waiting for their professor's orders. Bill and Fleur along with several students were responsible for securing the windows in every classroom. The Weasly twins, given their reputation, were responsible for blocking out every secret passage they knew of. For such a great honor, they chose Lee Jordan to accompany them.

"Professor Slughorn, please take care of the Astronomy tower." Professor Mcgongall requested.

The old professor looked around him for a moment, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "Miss Granger, Miss Lovegood, please come with me." he decided.

Hermione and Luna almost ran to keep up with Slughorn's long strides. Unable to believe how such an old man managed to walk so fast. Hermione could swear the man was giddy with anticipation!

After going through some spells with his students, professor Slughorn started casting one spell after the other to protect the tower. The two girls followed suit, Hermione secretly adding some charms of her own.

"Hermione.." Luna whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

"Yes Luna?" Hermione answered distractedly.

"It was probably just Nargles messing with my head...such dangerous creatures if you ask me." Luna said, "But I believe I saw you kissing Draco Malfoy earlier at the room of requirement."

Hermione's hand stilled, she tried to mask her expression before looking at Luna innocently, not knowing what to say.

"I really hope you don't think I'm nosy but I needed to know if what I saw was true or just the Nargles giving me a foggy mind again." Luna pursued.

"Nargles, Luna. Definetly the Nargles." Hermione replied, nodding her head strongly in confirmation.


	34. The Battle of Hogwarts

A/N: Sooo...long chapter! The longest chapter I've ever written so far, actually. The story is almost over and I have a long list of mixed feelings so I'll just go cry in a corner while you guys read this chapter.

* * *

><p>Draco paced his room back and forth. It seemed like everywhere he looked, his mind projected a terrible image of what might be happening at Hogwarts. He suddenly heard loud banging coming from downstairs. He opened his door slightly and poked his head outside. The banging got louder and more frantic. Nobody seemed to be awake and with their recent lack of house elves, Draco descended the stairs with hesitant steps to open the door.<p>

"Where's the Dark Lord?" Snape demanded as he strode hastily into the Manor, followed by a limping Alecto Carrow.

"What happened?" Draco asked.

"_Where is the Dark Lord?_" Snape repeated, gritting his teeth.

Before Draco could respond, the door to Voldemort's room flew open and he nearly flew down the stairs, followed closely by Bellatrix.

"I followed your orders, my lord." Snape said, "But we were outnumbered; the teachers and the students are fighting with him."

Voldemort was silent for a moment, Travers and Rookwood were now standing behind Bellatrix whose eyes gleamed eagerly. With a sudden jerk, he grabbed Snape's arm, pulling up his sleeve and pointing his wand at his mark. Snape bent his knees, almost falling down at the sudden pain he felt as his mark started burning. Draco felt his own mark burning furiously, he struggled to mask his pain.

A few minutes passed then Death Eaters started appearing in front of the huge gates of the Manor, unable to enter. Voldemort glanced impatiently at Draco who was so distracted by the stinging fire in his arm. Bellatrix moved, pointing her wand at the gate. In a familiar scene, her spell bounced off and flew back at her, missing Draco's head by a few inches.

"Draco.." Bellatrix urged in a small shrill voice and Draco looked up to find everybody looking at him expectantly.

A pair of red eyes narrowed on him, sending a shiver through his spine. He raised his wand up and pointed it at the gate, mumbling some words under his breath. The once transparent barrier that protected the Manor was now visible. It looked like thin glass. The light that came from Draco's wand cracked it then it crumbled to the ground. Yaxley and Dolohov who only left the Manor hours ago, walked through the gate, standing before Voldemort.

"Yaxley, go to Golgomath. Bring him and the rest of his beasts and follow us to Hogwarts." Voldemort dictated and Yaxley rushed out of the Manor's garden to follow the orders he was just given.

"Dolohov, do the same with the Dementors." Voldemort went on.

Dolohov's face contoured in fear amd he swallowed visibly. For a minute he looked like he was going to argue. To ask for a task that didn't include those terrifying creatures. But Voldemort narrowed his eyes on him questioningly and Dolohov didn't have the nerve to argue. With slow reluctant footsteps, he left the Manor.

"Where's Lucius?" Voldemort demanded, looking at Draco.

"He's..upstairs. Probably sleeping. He's.." Draco stammered, stopping when he felt his aunt's hand closing discreetly over his.

"Draco will go find him, my lord." Bellatrix interjected, "_Now._" she hissed, pushing Draco towards the door.

Draco hurried up the stairs, knocking persistently on his father's door. When he got no answer, he pushed the door open. To his surprise, his father was awake. He was looking at Draco with wide eyes.

"Draco, how could you barge into our room like that!" Lucius berated as he fastened the last buttons of his shirt.

_Our room_, Draco grimaced at the words. Right then and there he was so tempted to tell him the truth of his mother's death and end his misery. There was no chance he would get over it soon.

"The Dark Lord is fuming, he wants you downstairs, now." Draco informed.

Lucius raked his hand through his hair. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he was looking directly at Draco who frowned at him in confusion. Lucius moved towards Draco. He raised his hand and cupped his cheek. He tilted his head to one side, looking like he was memorizing Draco's features. Draco tensed, uncomfortable with his father acting as if he was on his death. They both rushed down the stairs, dissolving into the increasing crowd that almost filled the Manor's garden.

"We're heading to Hogwarts." Voldemort announced.

The crowd before him cheered enthusiastically. They mounted their broomsticks and followed their lord. Bellatrix followed Voldemort like his shadow, never letting Draco leave her side. The night was dark, cold and ominous, promising equally dark events. They flew for too long until Draco was finally able to see the castle in the horizon.

He sighed in relief when his feet touched the ground; he didn't think his sore arms could hold the broomstick any longer. A shiver ran through his body and he felt as if a cold hand gripped his heart. Every bad memory of his, suddenly came back to haunt him. He looked up to see over twenty Dementors flying above their heads. Loud thuds came from behind and Draco felt the ground shake beneath his feet. Four horrendous giants stood behind the increasing crowd of Death Eaters, led by Yaxley with a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Do we attack now, my lord?" Bellatrix urged.

Voldemort didn't look at her. He was looking intently at the castle in front of him. He raised his hand in a silent order for Bellatrix to shut up. Raising his wand,he pointed it above his head and muttered something inaudible. A faint light came from the wand, engulfing him for a brief moment before vanishing.

"I know that you are preparing to fight." Voldemort's hiss pierced Draco's ear. It was similar to the sound of a snake gliding over marble floor, quiet but lethal. "Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical me Harry Potter, and they shall not be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded." he coaxed. "You have until midnight." he finalized his ultimatum.

Bellatrix grimaced, unsatisfied with having to wait any longer. Draco was as eager as his aunt to enter the castle, although for a different set of reasons. Scabior almost crashed to the ground on a broomstick he couldn't handle, probably because it wasn't his to begin with. Around thirty other men followed, looking as filthy and untidy as him.

"My men and I came as soon as we heard there was a battle in order." Scabior said, bending his head submissively.

"_Your_ men, Scabior?" Bellatrix scoffed, quirking her eyebrow at Scabior.

"We..we are all but the Dark Lord's servants." Scabior corrected himself quickly, daring to shoot Bellatrix a venomous look the moment she turned her back to him.

Voldemort who wasn't paying attention to the spar taking place next to him, raised his wand to the sky. A huge hourglass materialized above their heads. Filled with odd looking sand, crimson in color as if it was mixed with blood.

Lucius never left Draco's side. Bellatrix kept hovering over the two of them. Mostly glowering at Lucius or scolding him for showing weakness. A fair share of her words were directed to Draco, encouraging him to avenge his mother's death. Draco did his best to show enthusiasm but he was seeing an extremely hysterical side of his aunt and he now realized what was it about her that made some of Voldemort's toughest men fear her.

A protective streak had appeared in her out of nowhere. She followed him like his shadow most of the time. Knocking his room's door at random times, making it hard for him to leave the Manor as freely as he did before. If he hadn't known his aunt well enough, Draco would've sworn she was trying to step into his mother's place. But Bellatrix was as far from motherly affections as humanly possible. The only affections his aunt showed were the ones she shamelessly displayed towards Voldemort.

How a man like Rodolphus tolerated his wife's queer behavior, was beyond Draco. He spotted the tall bulky man, hovering behind Voldemort. Was it out of sheer loyalty that he found Bellatrix's fascination with Voldemort acceptable? Draco twisted his mouth in disgust; he would trade his cocked up family for a Pygmy Puff anytime of the day.

Time went by at an agonizingly slow pace. Despite being outside the confines of the Manor, Draco felt suffocated. The air was humid, thick with tension. The Dementors' presence was only adding insult to injury. He had to fight an urge to run as far as his legs could take him. Most of the men and women surrounding him seemed equally affected by the Dementors. With the exception of his aunt and Antonin Dolohov who probably spent enough time in Azkaban to get used to the ominous creatures.

Draco could feel his father nervously shaking next to him. He had expected him to have a much better reaction to Dementors, given the time he had spent in Azkaban. But at this point in his father's life, the last thing he needed was a creature that evoked his most depressing thoughts. He was already haunted by them.

Tension rose to extreme levels as the last drop of sand announced midnight. Everybody looked at Voldemort, waiting for confirmation. Voldemort began the first wave of attacks on the shield that engulfed the castle. Everybody else followed suit.

"Draco," Voldemort called, "does the vanishing cabinet still work?" he demanded.

"I..can't be sure." Draco replied cautiously.

"Then take some men with you and find out." Voldemort ordered impatiently.

Draco was followed by three of Scabior's men. Lucius tried to follow him but Voldemort's stern orders for him to stay, fixed him in his place. Draco was about to apparate to Borgin and Burkes when thin finger closed over his arm. He looked next to him to find Bellatrix, apparently seeking the fastest possible way into the castle.

As they barged into the empty shop, Draco contemplated whether or not he should let his aunt into the cabinet. He knew that by now the other cabinet was probably destroyed. He also knew what would happen to anybody who tried to transport themselves through a broken cabinet. Despite everything, Draco didn't want to live with the guilt of watching his own aunt walk into a death trap. She stepped forward, reaching for the cabinet's door and Draco's hand instantly closed over her arm, pulling her back.

"You go first." Draco ordered the other men.

"Why?" Bellatrix and the men asked at the same time.

"Check if the other cabinet is working properly, and if it is, come back to inform us." Draco explained, exchanging a brief glance with Bellatrix.

"What happens if the other one isn't working?" one man raised his eyebrow suspiciously at Draco.

"Nothing..you just won't be transported..nothing dangerous." Draco lied, hoping the men were as stupid as they looked.

"Alright." the man mumbled as he entered the cabinet, followed by the other two.

"You'll find the spell carved into the back of the door." Draco said, closing the door behind them.

Bellatrix looked at Draco curiously, with her hands on her waist, expecting an explanation.

"The other cabinet might be destroyed." Draco said, "If it is, whoever tries to use it would die. They wouldn't be fully transported." he admitted.

Bellatrix's eyes widened at the information she just heard. A hint of what seemed like pride flashed over her face. She reached for the door once more, with hesitant fingers this time. She opened the door slowly, blinking rapidly before slamming the door shut angrily.

"It's broken." she muttered before grabbing Draco's arm and disapparating from the shop.

The minute they were back, Draco could see clearly Hogwarts' defenses had broken. He rushed into the castle, maneuvering his way through the huge giants who wrecked havoc all over the castle. His eyes frantically searched every corner of the hall, looking for Hermione. He was desperate to know Hermione was safe and equally desperate to let her know about the dagger he had in his pocket. At this moment, he didn't even mind sharing his information with Potter or even Weasly, but he couldn't see any of them.

Eventually, Draco spotted the top of Hermione's head. She was with Ron, both of them running _towards_ something rather than _from_ something. Draco dashed after them. On his way he spotted Tonks, cornered by two other Death Eaters. He pointed his wand at the men, stunning the two of them respectively. Tonks looked up to see him, she walked in his direction with a grateful smile on her face but Draco didn't wait for her. He caught a glimpse of Hermione ascending one of the stairs with Ron.

He did his best to cut the distance between them, calling after Hermione who couldn't hear him over the loud noises of the battle. Draco frowned in confusion when he saw them entering Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He entered the bathroom to find it empty. A huge pipe dominated one of the walls. Draco approached it cautiously, he looked inside it only to be met by darkness. He heard a loud noise that sounded like a huge flood of water followed by a high-pitched scream that echoed through the rusty pipe.

Without further hesitation, Draco let himself slide through the dirty pipe. He fell to the wet floor before jumping upright instantly. He froze in his place as he looked at Hermione. He could see her back, she was soaked wet. Her face was cupped between Ron's hands while her hands were clenched into fists by her sides. Ron glanced over Hermione's shoulder. Seeing Draco, he flashed him a look of challenge before looking back at Hermione who pushed him off and stepped back.

"Ron.." Hermione exhaled sharply, "I..I can't..because.." her voice trailed off when she saw Ron looking at something behind her back.

"Draco!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise.

She frowned in confusion when Draco stared at her with accusative eyes. _Why wasn't he making any move in my direction?_ Hermione's frown deepened. And then it dawned on her that Draco witnessed the kiss. She realized what it must have looked like to him. Before she could explain, Draco turned on his heel and climbed back to the pipe.

"Draco, wait!" Hermione ran after him.

"Ascendio" Draco yelled, letting his wand ascend him back to the bathroom.

"_Draco.._" Hermione called desperately.

Draco could hear Hermione's voice calling after him but he insisted on blocking it out. Blocking Hermione's whole being out seemed like the wise thing to do. Did he even have the right to be mad? Draco questioned himself as he headed back to the battle, looking for his father. The truth was, he had no hold over Hermione. But to see her running back to Weasly the moment he turned his back, felt like a hard slap across his face. She was just kissing him less than a day ago and now this! The mere idea of her choosing Weasly over him started a flame of fury inside Draco. _But you weren't there to choose from to begin with_, he reminded himself sarcastically. Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts once more.

"Wait." Hermione pleaded as she made her way to him.

Draco nearly ran away from her. Not caring about the curses that flew above his head. He spotted Harry walking with Ron and suddenly remembered the dagger. He followed him relentlessly until he saw him enter the room of requirement. As he followed him, Crabbe and Goyle appeared out of thin air, obviously keeping an eye on Harry themselves.

"Draco!" Crabbe looked surprised to see him. "We saw Potter, he just entered the room."

"He was looking for something called a die-dum" Goyle informed.

_A diadem?_ Draco frowned in confusion. He stood in front of the wall, bending his head down and closing his eyes in concentration. He urged the right thought into his mind, spending enough time in that room taught him the perfect way to manipulate it. After few tries, the room of hidden things revealed its door. Draco followed the direction of Harry's footsteps.

"Hold it, Potter." Draco hissed, alarming Harry to their presence.

Harry glanced around him, he couldn't hear any noise that indicated Ron's presence. He wasn't sure what to make of Malfoy's sudden appearance. Was he finally showing his true colors? Had they been fooled all along? Or was it his friends he was fooling?

"So, how come you aren't with Voldemort?" Harry asked, directing his question at Malfoy rather than his friends.

"We're gonna be rewarded." Crabbe smirked triumphantly, "We 'ung back, Potter. We decided not to go. Decided to bring you to 'im" he boasted.

"Good plan." Harry mocked. His eyes were scanning the room. He knew where he had last seen the diadem, he just had to move closer to it.

"Harry!" Hermione's voice came from behind them.

"Descendo!" Crabbe pointed his wand at a huge pile of old furniture that barely stood upright next to Hermione. The top of the pile fell into one of the isles while the rest of it threatened to crush Hermione.

"_Finite!_" Draco yelled at the shaky pile and it stilled slowly. "If you wreck the room, we might bury that diadem thing!" Draco fumed at Crabbe.

"What's that matter?" Crabbe dismissed lightly, "It's potter the Dark lord wants, who cares about a die-dum?"

"You don't understand.." Draco huffed impatiently.

"_I don't want to!_" Crabbe roared at Draco, "I don't take your orders no more, Draco. You 'an your dad..are finished." he smirked at him venomously.

"Stupefy!" Hermione yelled, pointing her wand at Crabbe.

"Expelliarmus" Harry aimed his spell at Goyle, missing him and hitting Draco instead. Draco's wand flew from his hand and landed in Harry's.

"_Crucio!_" Crabbe spat furiously, pointing his wand at Harry.

"STOP!" Draco shouted at Crabbe, "The Dark Lord wants him alive."

"So? I'm not killing him, am I?" Crabbe sneered, pushing Draco back forcefully, "But if I can, I will."

Hermione tried to once more aim her spell at Crabbe only to miss him by inches.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" Crabbe bellowed, his voice laced in fury.

Draco watched with wide eyes as Hermione jumped away from the green ray of light. He could hear Harry's voice casting one spell after the other at Crabbe and Goyle who were both aiming their wands at him.

"_Don't kill him_! DO NOT KILL HIM!" Draco bellowed at them frantically.

Crabbe was randomly flailing his wand everywhere, casting a killing curse on everything his eyes fell on. Draco spotted the old diadem and made a run for it, already suspecting it was another Horcrux.

"Draco!" Hermione's voice pierced his ears.

He looked back to find a huge wave of fire coming his way. Ron, Crabbe and Harry were running as fast as they could. "Run!" Harry bawled at him.

Hermione joined them as they ran for their lives from the flames that ate whatever came in their way. "What can we do?" she screamed.

Harry spotted a couple of broomsticks, taking one and throwing Hermione the other. "Ron, come on." Harry urged impatiently when Ron made no move to mount the broomstick behind him.

Hermione pushed the heavy broomstick into Draco's hand. He mounted it, pulling Hermione behind him. After a moment of flying towards the door. Draco looked back. He could see Goyle desperately clutching one of the several towers of junk that filled the room. Draco hovered next to him and Hermione extended her hand to him, after several tries, she was finally able to pull him onto the broomstick. His weight almost sent them crashing to the floor but Draco managed to fly them back up in the direction of the door.

Hermione was starting to lose consciousness. The room was too hot, the smoke too suffocating and she started coughing breathlessly. It was only when she couldn't think she could take it anymore that a breeze of fresh air cleared her lungs. She threw herself onto the cold floor, taking deep breaths of air to replace the smoke in her lungs. Draco and an unconscious Goyle followed. Draco was kneeling on the floor, coughing loudly as he gasped for air. Shortly after, Ron and Harry followed.

"Harry, what's that on your arm?" Hermione asked, squinting her eyes at the diadem that hung onto Harry's arm.

Before Harry could reply, the diadem started trembling. A small crack appeared in it and soon the whole thing was breaking into pieces. From every crack, leaked what looked like thick black blood. Harry threw the diadem away, covering his ears when shrill screams echoed in his ears, coming from the diadem. A long moment passed before the diadem finally stopped twitching and its remaining pieces rested motionlessly on the floor.

"That..that.." Hermione stammered, struggling to form a proper sentence. "That means we only have the snake left!"

Draco shot upright, "You owe me a wand, Potter." he hissed at Harry before leaving them without another word. Hermione groaned in frustration; she had already chased him all over the castle to explain but he was so determined on ignoring her existence.

Draco wandered around the castle, looking for his father everywhere. The battle went on for hours and hours, Draco realized as he saw the first rays of sunlight in the sky. Frustration got the best of him as he opened another classroom door to find it empty. Just as he was about to leave, Voldemort's cold voice echoed in his head once more. "_I command my forces to retreat immediately._" were the words that lingered the most. He knew his father was probably with those forces at the forest. _That -of course- was if he was still alive_, Draco brooded.

Draco moved to the door only to be pushed back forcefully by Hermione. She slammed the door shut behind her and stood in front of it with her hands on her waist.

"I can't believe I actually have to trap you inside a room to be able to talk to you!" Hermione fumed at him. "You're being..childish." she accused, "I have something to say and you _will_ hear it."

"Go ahead." Draco replied curtly as he stood upright, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I..I..you completely misunderstood what you saw." Hermione said.

"There isn't much to be understood about it, you know." Draco retorted.

"Yes there is! I wasn't kissing Ron." Hermione insisted.

"I'm pretty sure you were." Draco contradicted

"No! I mean..he kissed me but I didn't kiss him back." Hermione pursued.

"I'm sorry did my sudden entrance interrupt you?" Draco smirked.

"Stop being such a prat!" Hermione stomped her way to him, "I didn't kiss him because..because.."

"Because?" Draco raised an eyebrow at her.

"Because I don't love him. We're friends but..I don't _love_ him." Hermione replied.

"That's good for you." Draco remarked smugly, barely masking his relief. He couldn't quite put his finger on the reliving part of Hermione's statement but it was good to know she hadn't willingly chosen to be with Weasly. It kind of sent a streak of hope. And although Draco was scared of how desperate he was for any hope for the two of them, he couldn't stop himself from clinging onto that hope when it presented itself. No matter how faint it was.

"Because.." Hermione paused, taking a deep breath and exhaling it sharply. "I love you." she whispered.


	35. Trust Me

Draco's eyes widened at the words he thought he had heard. Was it possible that his own mind was fooling him? If that was the case then it did a ridiculously good job; Draco could swear the words sounded too real to be hallucinations.

"I..don't think I heard you properly." Draco said hoarsely.

"You did." Heremione replied

Draco swallowed hard. His eyes chased Hermione's elusive gaze until she bent her head down, letting her hair stand as a protective barrier between them. In spite of the endless questions he wanted to ask, Draco couldn't bring himself to form a single coherent sentence.

"I'm..starting to worry..." Hermione admitted, raising up her head slightly to look at Draco. Her face was flushed and her expression solicitous.

"No" Draco shoo his head. He reached for Hermione's hand and pulled her closer. "I just..I'm not..I mean.." he stammered.

_Focus, Draco_! His own voice hissed at him. He was already confused about where they stood, now his confusion reached new levels he was never aware of. She loved him! Draco replayed her words in his head over and over again. With every echo of Hermione's words, Draco came one step closer to coming to terms with his own feelings for her.

He had grown to crave her company even when he knew it would only bring him trouble. Had thrown himself into a den of lions who made it very clear they didn't stand his presence as much as he didn't stand theirs, just because she had asked him to stay. Having her at his own house felt so familiar. That house was his comfort zone, the place he sought when he needed a break from his real life. And she fit into that zone so easily it terrified him. He danced, walked and laughed with her and never felt out of his element. He knew that if he let her in, things would be so easy for them. And more than anything, Draco wanted to let her in.

He stepped closer and reached for her. His hand curved over the small of her back, pulling her closer. Hermione raised her hand and cupped his cheek gently. He raised his hand and held her wrist, pressing his lips into her palm.

"Draco.." -she raised his bowed head up to look at him- "I love you." she repeated softly.

"Yes please." Draco breathed.

At the forest, Lucius Malfoy was on the brink of losing his sanity. He had lost sight of Draco in the middle of the battle and hadn't seen him ever since. Reluctantly, he was forced to retreat with the rest of the Death Eaters. He spent an hour trying to sneak away from the crowds and back to Hogwarts, knowing that leaving the crowd unnoticed was as impossible as being able to enter Hogwarts again. But at this point, Lucius didn't care. He didn't care how illogical his ideas were. Didn't care about the stabbing pain and the blood seeping from the wound in his thigh. He didn't even care about what Voldemort thought of him anymore. He just wanted to see his son, battling the voices that told him his son's absence only meant that he was dead.

When Harry Potter entered the forest and stood before them, Lucius held his breath and watched. It seemed like time ran too fast; everything happened in a blur. Before Lucius could realize, he saw the familiar ray of green light coming out of Voldemort's wand, colliding with the boy's body. Was it finally over? Lucius almost asked out loud.

"Lucius!" Voldemort's impatient voice gave Lucius the impression that this wasn't the first time he called his name, "Make yourself useful and go check if the boy's dead." he dictated.

Lucius could've sworn that for a fleeting second, he saw a hint of fear in Voldemort's eyes. He walked with difficulty, dragging his legs until the boy's lifeless body was under his feet. Kneeling on the ground next to him, his eyes widened when he saw the vein in his neck throbbing. He pressed his fingers against the throbbing vein only to have his doubts confirmed. He opened Harry's jacket and pressed his palm against his chest, feeling it rise and fall faintly. The boy was bloody immortal!

Lucius almost stood up and announced the truth, but that would probably kill his chances at going back to Hogwarts for Draco. In an act of madness, Lucius leaned over Harry's body. "My son, is he alive?" he whispered. Harry whispered back a yes in a barely audible voice. Lucius sighed in relief before standing up to face the waiting crowd.

"The boy is dead." Lucius announced.

Back at Hogwarts, Draco was sitting at one of the few tables remaining at the great hall. He watched silently as the Weaslys mourned their dead son, feeling genuinely horrified by the image of Fred's dead body. Tonks was sitting on the floor, not far from the Weaslys. She was desperately trying to heal Lupin's arm that had several nasty cuts all over it.

He saw Hermione walking back to him, tears filled her eyes as she threw herself recklessly next to him. Draco's hand hovered awkwardly behind her back. He wanted to show any sign of comfort but the hall was filled with people. _Did it really matter_? Draco wondered. They'd be incredibly luck if they survived this battle at all. So what was the point of caring what people thought? Without further hesitation, he leaned forward and pulled Hermione into him. Rubbing her back slowly.

"Fred is..a-an-and..this g-girl..she's..dead..I..I knew her and...and him.." Hermione sobbed. Over Draco's shoulders she could see several bodies lying on the floor. "And Harry..I don't know where he is!"

Draco shifted his body into a more comfortable position and then he felt something solid in his pocket. The dagger..why did something have to come in the way every time he wanted to tell Hermione about that bloody dagger! He caught Hermione's chin between his fingers and raised her head up to see her. _Not the right time, definitely not the right time_, Draco brooded. But it was now or never; whether or not Potter was there, the snake still had to be killed and he couldn't think of anybody other than Hermione who could do it.

Before he could say anything, loud noises came from outside the castle. Hysterical cheers, of a nearly animalistic nature and the sound of loud footsteps approaching. Everybody stood up in alarm. Slowly, they made their way to the Viaduct courtyard where the noise came from. Draco saw his father and his aunt, standing behind Voldemort. Then he saw Hagrid holding something in his arms. Squinting his eyes, Draco recognized what he saw. Harry's body was lying still in Hagrid's arms who was crying uncontrollably.

Draco felt a stab of panic; despite everything, he felt sorry for the dead boy. But more than anything, Draco was utterly disappointed at what seemed like Voldemort winning this war. Where did that leave him now? He couldn't fathom the idea of going back to stand next to his father. _Stay_, Hermione's previous plead sounded so simple, so easy, and Draco started wondering what was the worst that could happen? Even death sounded more appealing to him now than having to live as a Death Eater and watch the loving look Hermione gave him turn into a venomous one.

He could hear people talking, whispering. He even heard Voldemort making a boastful speech that he couldn't pay attention to. He saw the hideous snake at Voldemort's feet and felt the same shiver of terror that gripped him every time he saw it. Draco pressed his hand against his pocket. He still had the dagger but now he had no chance of giving it to Hermione.

Glancing around, Draco spotted a broomstick thrown a couple of steps away from him. He moved slowly, bent down and picked up the broomstick. He felt as if somebody else was acting for him. He took actions without pausing to think about them. Because probably if he did, he would stop dead in his tracks.

"Draco!" Lucius called, "Come..come." he urged desperately, diverting Voldemort's attention to Draco.

"Draco, you've served me well." Voldemort said, "Now come back where you belong."

Draco stared blankly at the man talking to him. His father was standing behind Voldemort, motioning for him to come over. He felt Hermione's hand tightening over his. He looked down at her. Her lower lip was trembling. Fresh tears rand down her tear-stained cheeks. She mouthed the word 'stay' and Draco tugged his hand free from her grip. He felt a stab of pain at the hurt expression that crossed her face.

"Trust me" he whispered, hoping more than he had ever hoped, that this time she would actually trust him.

He walked forward, ignoring the accusative scowls he was receiving. He clutched the broomstick as if his life depended on it; somehow it did. He passed by Voldemort, feeling a wave of cold emitting from his body. Draco stopped a couple of steps behind Voldemort. He reached for the dagger in his pocket, holding the broomstick in front of him to block the view of the dagger from the crowd in front of him.

With one swift move, he turned on his heel and embedded the dagger in the snake's head. Voldemort let out a deafening feral growl. The snake hissed, it rose violently above the floor as if under a Crusiatus curse before falling to the ground with a loud thud. Panic erupted all over the courtyard. Draco used the sudden chaos to mount his broomstick, urging it forward with full speed.

"_Draco_, you filthy traitor!" Bellatrix's voice roared after Draco.

Hermione watched in terror as Draco maneuvered his way away from Bellatrix's consistent spells. She was frantically running after him, randomly firing curses everywhere. Hermione called after him several times but he was too far away. Then she saw it, Lucius Malfoy was standing behind Bellatrix, pointing his wand at her while she pointed her own wand at Draco. This time, he wasn't fast enough and Bellatrix's spell hit the back of his broomstick setting it on fire. Draco swayed from one side to the other, obviously losing control over his broomstick.

"DRACO!" Hermione cried when she saw him falling off off the broomstick and down the steep Viaduct.

Hermione ran over to the Viaduct. She looked down, searching as far as her eyes could see but Draco was nowhere to be seen. She turned around to face Bellatrix, too desperate, too frustrated and way too enraged to see sense. At one moment, three different wands were pointed at Bellatrix. Lucius was standing behind her, his wand shaking and his vision blurred with tears. Hermione was in front of her, for the first time not diving away from Bellatrix's wand. And in a far corner, Tonks stood pointing her wand in Bellatrix's direction. Feeling that she owed Bellatrix now more than ever.

Nobody knew whose spell hit Bellatrix first. Three rays of light came out of the three wands, non of them green. She suddenly froze in her place. She flew back with great speed only to end up slammed against the stone walls of the castle. Bellatrix's body fell to the ground for one last time.

Lucius Malfoy and Hermione collapsed on the floor almost at the same time. Lucius knelt on the floor. He threw his head back and roared out a desperate groan so loud that everybody seemed to freeze upon hearing it. Hermione rested her back against the wall. She stared blankly in front of her. She could see people still fighting. Curses flew above her head and she couldn't care less about them. There were no tears in her eyes; she hadn't even accepted what she had seen.

"Voldemort is dead!" somebody cried.

Hermione looked up to see Lee Jordan running around, announcing the news of Voldemort's defeat to everybody. She willed herself to stand up but to no avail. She saw Harry making his way through the crowds that surrounded him and walking towards her.

"Hermione.." Harry mumbled her name, resting his hand over her shoulder.

Blank stare.

"Hermione, get up. Your hand is bleeding." Harry pointed out.

Hermione looked down at said hand. She could see a cut slashing her palm but she couldn't feel any pain coming from it. The suffocating pain in her chest exceeded any other pain she could experience. Another blank stare.

"Hermione, please..." Harry pleaded, "Come with me".

"I can't..." Hermione finally spoke, her voice barely audible. "I have to be here when he comes back, I'll wait."

"Hermione.." Harry sighed, he understood what she was going through. More than anything, he understood loss and the state of denial that followed it. "Nobody is coming back." he said, both to himself and to Hermione.

"No, you don't understand!" Hermione shouted at Harry, pushing away his hand.

She stood up abruptly and nearly ran away from Harry. He followed her, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

"At least come back, let somebody heal your hand and then you can wait all you like." Harry tried to reason with her.

Her shoulders fell in defeat but she made no move to walk with him so he had to technically push her forward towards the castle. She sat statue-still as Tonks tended to her wounded hand.

"Bloody hell..is that..?" Ron exclaimed, looking with a confused frown at the huge door.

Narcissa Malfoy was standing in front of them. Her usually perfectly neat appearance gone. Her hair was messy and she had a deep cut on her thigh that caused her to limp. Hermione's mouth fell open when she saw Narcissa Malfoy dressed in men's clothes. Not just any men; she was dressed in the same clothes her husband had been wearing during the battle. The robe looked too huge for her and her hands were hidden inside the sleeves.

Then it dawned on Hermione..there was no Lucius Malfoy all along! The woman's face was stained with tears as she dragged herself into the hall. She stood several steps away from Hermione, looking at her with accusative eyes.

"I..will _never_..forgive you." Narcissa hissed at Hermione, shaking with anger.

Hermione didn't know what to say in return. For some reason Narcissa Malfoy blamed her for Draco's death. And Hermione didn't feel the anger she thought she should feel at such an accusation. She felt sorry for the woman to the extent of letting her lay the blame her if it made her feel any better.

"That's unfair!" Ginny protested, "Hermione can't be blamed for..for what happened."

"Of course she is! She and I, we are both equally responsible for this." Narcissa fumed, "We both knew he was putting his life in danger for us and we stood..we watched...so selfishly as he did. Don't ever forget this." she spat before wincing in pain. She looked down at her leg, the wound she had carelessly ignored had left a spot of blood at her feet.

"Let Madam Pomfrey see your leg." Tonks offered, "Please." she added, urging Narcissa Malfoy forward to the other end of the hall.

Hermione watched from a distance as Madam Pomfrey started treating Narcissa Malfoy's badly injured leg. She walked over to her with uncertain steps. She looked at the older woman's face intently, still able to see Draco in her features.

"I...would've never asked Draco to risk his own life for me. I wanted him to stay, but...that wasn't my intention." Hermione said.

"I could say the same." Narcissa whispered, her voice barely audible.

Hermione stepped closer hesitantly. She raised one shaky hand and rested it on Narcissa's shoulder in a timid attempt of comfort.

"Draco.." Narcissa breathed.

"I'm _really_ sorry." Hermione bent her head down remorsefully.

"No! _Draco_!" Narcissa repeated, gaping over Hermione's shoulder.

Hermione looked back. At first, she couldn't see what Narcissa had been looking at then she saw it. Through the wide open gates of the great hall, Hermione saw Draco's frame making his way into the hall. He stood behind Harry and Ron who were looking at him with wide eyes. She rushed to him, standing a couple of steps away from him. She wasn't sure if it was actually him or the battle had eventually taken its toll on her mind.

"I particularly hated that snake." Draco smirked.

The familiar smirk gave Hermione all the confirmation she needed. She threw herself at Draco and flung her arms around him, not pausing once to think about the people in the room. She held him so tight, afraid that if she let go he'd evaporate and all this would be a trick her mind was playing. She didn't care if it was a hallucination; it felt real.

When the hug lasted for too long, Draco eased Hermione back. Over her shoulder, he could see his mother staring at him with tear-filled eyes.

"You..are grounded for life." Narcissa said, pulling Draco forcefully into a tight hug.

"Why are you here? How did you come here?" Draco demanded, unable to understand his mother's presence.

"I couldn't..when you left that day, I couldn't bear letting you go into that battle alone." Narcissa admitted,"I went to the Manor, I told Lucius everything and I begged him to let us switch places." she explained.

"And he let you!" Draco barely controlled the anger in his voice, "He stayed there, safe and sound in the Muggle house and let you fight his battle for him?"

"It's not his battle, Draco." Narcissa replied calmly.

"How could he?" Draco muttered incredulously, ignoring his mother's words.

"We'll talk about this later, alright?" Narcissa suggested, uncomfortable with discussing her family in public. "Come, let's go back home."

Draco felt Hermione's grip tighten over his arm. "No, you go. I have..something to do." he glanced at Hermione, "I'll be back later."

"But.." Narcissa started to protest.

"_Later_." Draco cut her off decisively. Narcissa's gaze travelled between Hermione and Draco for a while before she finally relented and headed out of the castle.

"How?" Hermione asked, "I saw you...I saw you falling."

"I had a wand." Draco produced a short light brown wand from his pocket, "Picked it up from the floor after Potter took mine."

"So..Arresto Momentum?" Hermione asked.

"Arresto Momentum." Draco nodded with a smile, "I tried to use Ascendio to fly back up, but that stupid wand wasn't helping. I had to climb my way to the top." he grimaced.

Hermione stared at him in surprise. For the first time ever since he had walked through that door, she took in his whole appearance. Both his hands were covered in blood, his clothes were ragged and his knee was injured.

"Stop crying; you're ruining my robe." Draco jested smugly, wiping some tears off Hermione's cheeks.

"I knew..I swear I knew you'd be back. I wasn't delusional. I wasn't in denial. I knew." Hermione said enthusiastically as if responding to a challenge.

"I was so confused. I saw Potter's dead body and I thought..I didn't know where to go. Then Voldemort told me to come where I belonged and it settled the matter for me. Then you had that look on your face..hurt? Disappointment? I don't really know. But it made me remember the first thing you told me when I brought you to my room. That I was a coward and would die as one." Draco recounted.

"You're not. I didn't mean.." Hermione interjected.

"I know." Draco cut her off, "But I was proving it to myself rather than you." he admitted.

"Draco, I'm so glad you're back." Hermione whispered, pulling Draco closer to her.

"I had to. I love you too much to let it end so soon." Draco murmured.

"You do?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"No, Granger. I did all this because I had a childhood fear of snakes and I decided to deal with it now." Draco scoffed.

"You have so many injuries it leaves me nowhere to punch you." Hermione complained.

Draco let out a whole-hearted laugh. His shoulder felt so light now that he was free of the weight that had been burdening him. The war was over with a surprisingly satisfying turn of events. His parents were safe even if hard days were ahead of them as a family. And Hermione was right in his arms. The secrets, lies and deceit that he surrounded himself with, were no longer necessary. And for once, Draco was able to actually sigh in relief.

He stepped forward and pulled Hermione into him. "I love you, Granger." he whispered against her lips.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Aaaand there goes the last chapter. I only have the epilogue to publish and then we could announce The Malfoy Redemption officially complete. God this story changed so much from the story I had in mind at first. I had such a terribly sad ending that I -thankfully- changed.

I enjoyed writing this story so much and now I feel like a mother seeing her son to his first day of school. I'm so utterly proud and glad that it's finally coming to an end, a happy ending. Yet I'm missing it already.

Thank you all for reading, reviewing and enjoying this story. Some of your reviews actually made my days when I had terrible ones. Some of them improved my writing a lot, and some just had me grinning like an idiot.

P.S: Yes, I refuse to accept Tonks and Lupin's death. They didn't die. I can't hear you. That's not true. *puts hands over ears and sings her happy song*


	36. Epilogue

**A/N: I'm sorry to the moon and back for the late epilogue but I was too sick to function properly. It's a bit long, but I can honestly say it was the most enjoyable part of the story to write. I'm glad I got to share it with you, so thank you for your time. :)**

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><p><strong><em>1st of September, 1998<em>**

**_Hogwarts' carriage._**

Hermione watched the Thestrals out of the carriage's window with great fascination. Her fingers ran through Draco's hair as he rested his head on her lap.

"Amazing, aren't they?" she asked.

"Thestrals? I find them grim actually" Draco replied.

"Most people do" Hermione agreed. "Draco.." she called after a while.

Draco finally opened his eyes and looked up at her. A smile curved his lips.

"You still haven't talked to your father, have you?" she asked tentatively.

Draco's smile faded and a frown creased his forehead. "No." he answered curtly.

"It's been what? Four months? You know you'll have to do it eventually."

"I don't _have_ to do anything anymore."

"So you'll just ignore his existence forever?"

"I don't know."

"You say that a lot lately." Hermione remarked

"Because it's true! I don't know when I'll be able to talk to my father once more. I'm going back to Hogwarts but I don't know what I want to do after I graduate. There's a long list of things I don't know."

"What do you know then?"

"I love you. I'm positive about that." Draco blurted.

"I know." Hermione's expression softened. She bent her head down and kissed Draco's forehead lightly. "Anyway, I was wondering..".

"Yes?" Draco prompted.

"Umm...what are you doing this Christmas?" Hermione asked tentatively, tucking a stray strand of her behind her ear.

"That's like..four months from now." Draco replied.

"I know, you're right..I just...never mind it's silly to think of something so far ahead." Hermione dismissed shyly.

"Hermione" Draco's hand closed over Hermione's, "what is it?" he asked.

"Nothing, really. It's nothing important." Hermione insisted.

"Alright..I'm probably spending this Christmas at home." Draco ignored Hermione's dismissal. "Maybe it would be a good chance to fix things with my father. Nymphadora mentioned something about wanting us to visit her as well."

"You told me about that, you said your mother was excited about it." Hermione said.

"_Subtly_ excited." Draco corrected humorously, "Our family has seen better times. I don't think we're ready for any social gatherings until we've fixed our own mess."

"Speaking of mess, how are you sleeping lately?" Hermione asked.

"Better than I was a month or two ago. The nightmares are still frequent but less intense." Draco replied, "Don't change the subject, Hermione. Why were you asking about Christmas?"

"Well...we get a few weeks' holiday for Christmas. So I was thinking that..maybe you'd like to spend a day with me..with us." Hermione suggested.

"Us here refers to..?" Draco asked

"My parents and I." Hermione cleared up.

"You're inviting me to your parents' house?" Draco pursued.

"If you don't want to, I can understand. I mea..." Hermione started to speak.

Before Hermione could complete her sentence, Draco's hand cupped the nape of her neck and pulled her down for a kiss.

"I'd love to." he murmured against the corner of her mouth.

There was a sharp knock at the cabinet's door, followed by a violent shake of the door's handle indicating that somebody was trying to force it open. Draco stood up and pointed his wand at the door, it flew open seconds later.

"Mr. Malfoy, care to explain why this cabinet's door was charmed?" Lupin demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the door's frame.

"That...is a very good question." Draco replied.

"I'm sure it is." Lupin said, "Do you have an equally good answer for it?"

"We..were going through a very important part of the new house unity program." Draco improvised.

"Which is, of course, something that required the privacy of a charmed door." Lupin fought back a laugh that threatened to ruin his serious demeanor.

"Exactly." Draco confirmed.

"Your undivided interest in the house unity program is extremely touching." Lupin's mouth twisted in a smile that indicated the Marauder in him was enjoying himself a little too much. "But as Head Boy, your responsibilities go further than that."

"Yes, sir." Draco nodded.

"Alright, Ms. Granger.." Lupin glanced over Draco's shoulder at Hermione's face as it turned into a deep shade of crimson. "We've almost arrived at Hogwarts. You're responsible for first year Gryffindors along with professor Hagrid. Mr. Malfoy, you're responsible for first year Slytherins with Mr. Filch." he informed.

"Not Filch!" Draco whined.

"_Mr._ Filch, Draco." Lupin corrected sternly.

"This is exactly why Slytherins have a bad reputation in this school! You can't let the first person they meet be Filch and expect them not to hate it." Draco protested.

"Well then it's lucky that they have you this year to change that." Lupin shrugged impassively before leaving.

"Filch..out of all people. He terrorizes the students! Can you believe this?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Actually, I have to agree with Lupin." Hermione replied.

"What? Agree with him about what exactly?" Draco's brows furrowed in confusion.

"About the part where they're lucky to have you." Hermione stood up and wrapped her arms around Draco's neck, pulling him for a last prolonged hug before they went on their ways. "I've had first hand experience with being lucky to have you." she whispered into his ear.

* * *

><p><em><strong>1st of September, 2017<strong>_

_**Platform Nine and Three Quarters, King's Cross Station.**_

"Pictor, don't run." Hermione called after her youngest son.

"Don't worry, mom." Pictor called back impatiently, his voice fading into the crowds that filled the platform.

"Yes worry, mom." Hermione muttered under her breath, "Lyra, go find your brother."

"But _mom_! I'm not his keeper. He has probably gone to find Lily." Lyra protested, pushing back a few curly brown tendrils that fell over her face.

"Speaking of Lily, can you see any of them?" Hermione asked distractedly, fiddling with the several bags in her hands.

"I can see Harry and Ginny over there." Draco pointed out, "Let's go." he tugged at Scorpius's hand.

"Dad, wait." Scorpius mumbled, his feet fixed to the ground. "I want to talk to you about something."

"Alright, you go ahead and we'll follow you." Draco told Hermione, dismissing her worried frown with a certain nod.

"So, what is it?" Draco asked, crouching down with his hand on his son's shoulder.

"You see that girl over there." Scorpius nodded his head in the direction of a short girl with brown hair, mischievous green eyes and a wide grin. "Dad, don't stare!" he hissed.

"I'm sorry!" Draco apologized, looking back at Scorpius. "So, what about her?"

"She's like..the most annoying girl in the whole world. She's even more annoying than that time I had dragon pox and had to stay in bed for a whole week." Scorpius whined.

"Why am I hearing this for the first time?" Draco asked.

"Because I was trying to ignore her..I mean she's not worth complaining about. But I saw her now and...she's so annoying, dad!" Scorpius explained.

"Alright." Draco cocked his head to one side, "What did she do to earn the 'most annoying girl' title?"

"Last year in the defense against dark arts class, professor Lupin told each two of us to pair up for a duel. Everybody had a partner and we were the only two left. She decided to pick the doll that we used to practice spells on over me!" Scorpius recounted indignantly.

"That's..bad. But I'm sure she had a reason to do so." Draco said.

"Her only reason is making my life worse." Scorpius insisted.

"I don't know, Scorpius. But I find it very hard to believe she did that for no good reason. So are you going to tell me what really happened?" Draco raised his eyebrow at Scorpius.

Scorpius hesitated for a moment. His eyes traveled between his father and the girl he was just talking about. He looked down at his linked fingers while speaking.

"Okay.. the first time I saw her was last year on the train. And..well..I.." Scorpius stammered.

"I'm listening, you know you can tell me anything." Draco prompted.

"Alright so I thought she was pretty. I wanted to talk to her but then she was gone and I kept looking for her all over the train. When I found her she was standing with that other boy. He was older than us and he..like waved his wand and a rose came out of its tip and he gave it to her." Scorpius recounted.

"Ugh the guy with the roses. There's always that other guy." Draco smiled sardonically, "What happened next?"

"I don't know, dad. I was really mad and I just told her roses were stupid. I don't even know why I said it."

"People say stupid things all the time. Did you apologize?"

"She never gave me a chance! She's been treating me like rubbish ever since. I hate her!"

"No you don't. Hate is a strong word, don't use it randomly." Draco corrected, "Have you tried a more..creative apology?"

"Like what?" Scorpius asked, looking genuinely interested.

Draco reached for his wand. "Orchideous" he said clearly. A colorful bouquet of flowers sprouted out of the tip of his wand. He held the bouquet and gave it to Scorpius who gaped at it in fascination. Draco spent the next fifteen minutes teaching his son the Orchideous spell. With an encouraging pat on his back, Scorpius sought out the girl with uncertain steps.

"Draco, what's taking you so long?" Hermione demanded, her eyes searching the place for Scorpius.

Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist and pulled her to him. "Look." he urged, pointing discreetly in their son's direction.

"How come I don't get flowers like that?" Hermione protested humorously.

"You were never the flowers type." Draco replied.

"Every woman is the flowers type!" Hermione retorted.

"You're telling me this three children late." Draco jested.

Thirty minutes later, Scorpius was finally back with a wide grin on his face. Hermione caught him exchanging a knowing look with Draco before busying himself with checking his luggage. Ron and Lavender stood not far away from them. Lavender was crying and sniffling loudly, hugging her daughter tightly, while Ron carried their three year old son.

"Do you have everything with you? Make sure nothing's missing." Hermione repeated for the third time.

"It's alright mum, stop worrying." Lyra wriggled away from Hermione who was trying to button the girl's coat up to her neck. "I can't wait to know which house I'll be sorted in!" she squealed enthusiastically.

"I already know I'm a Slytherin." Pictor puffed his chest proudly.

"Don't be so sure." Harry contradicted.

"Well, whatever house I get sorted into will gain a great wizard." Pictor replied smugly.

"I take that back. Definitely a Sltyehrin." Harry corrected himself.

"Teddy!" Lily cheered at the blue-haired young man who made his way towards them followed by Victoire Weasley and her parents.

After a long moment of chaotically exchanged hugs and greetings, it was time for the children to board the train. The noises were loud as every parent yelled their last minute goodbyes. Draco leaned back at the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and watched the train as it left. Hermione followed the train for a while, urging her children to owl her as soon as they settle in their rooms but they seemed busy laughing at something Remus Lupin had said that they didn't even notice her.

"Lavender I swear if you don't stop crying I'm going to start crying myself and nobody will be able to stop me." Hermione sniffed. "Ginny! Not you too!" she protested.

"I'm not crying!" Ginny lied, blinking away the tears. "Alright, just a little." she relented.

"Why is everybody crying? Every year I went back to Hogwarts it was the best time of my life!" Harry said, looking at the tearing women around him incredulously.

"Exactly!" Ron confirmed exasperatedly.

"Seriously people, they're going to school as students not to some erupting volcano as human sacrifices." Draco mocked.

"It's just that..the house is going to be so empty now that the twins are off to Hogwarts." Hermione admitted ruefully.

"If a beautiful lady like you feels lonely, I'd happily keep her company." Teddy offered humorously.

"Smooth, Teddy." Draco smirked, "Bad choice, though; she's taken." he rested his hand on the small of Hermione's back and pulled her to his side.

"Well, it was worth trying." Teddy shrugged, his unruly hair falling over his eyes.

"Yes, she's definitely worth trying." Draco agreed, pressing a kiss to Hermione's wrist.

* * *

><p><strong><em>24th of December, 2017.<em>**

**_The Malfoy Mansion, Isle of Wight_**

"Dad's home!" Lyra squealed as loud as she could. She ran towards Draco the minute he walked through the door, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

"Hello, princess." Draco greeted, sweeping Lyra off the ground.

"Grandpa and Grandma are here." Lyra informed. "Grandma said she would ground you for being late." she giggled.

"I'm older than I was when she last grounded me. I have taller legs now, she'll have to chase me for too long if she wants to ground me." Draco jested, earning himself a loud laugh from Lyra.

"Never too old for me." Narcissa emerged from the living room followed by Scorpius and Pictor.

Draco kissed his mother's forehead then crouched down to gather his three kids in one hug. "Have you been good?" he asked.

"_Really_ good, dad." Lyra nodded enthusiastically.

"As good as I can. Which is not much, honestly." Scorpius grinned at Draco.

"Well...that really depends on how you define good." Pictor replied vaguely.

Draco took a moment to appreciate the scene in front of him. Lyra was bouncing excitedly, a mane of short brown curls surrounded her face. Her hazel eyes gleamed and a wide grin never left her face. Always excited about something and curious about almost everything, Lyra had Draco wrapped around her finger and he wasn't ashamed of letting everybody see the hold she had over him.

Pictor stood with his hands in his pockets. His once blonde hair was now a light shade of brown. His eyes were the same color as his twin sister and he cocked one eyebrow at Draco. Despite not inheriting Draco's complexion, he inherited everything else. A Slytherin to the core, Pictor always had a sarcastic response. The way he puffed his chest, lifted his chin, and dreamed bigger than any child his age, were all signs of a boy that was going places. And Draco was secretly grateful he had Pictor to share his passion about Quidditch with.

Scorpius stood ever so quietly behind his siblings. His hands were folded behind his back and he looked at his father expectantly. Despite being a terrifyingly spitting image of Draco, he acquired most of his mother's character traits. The two of them shared the same inexplicable passion for reading. A lot more shy than his brother and sister and a lot more hardworking than them. Scorpius was the only person who could compete with Hermione over the title of 'Perfectionist'.

Three different people, three entirely different characters. And Draco had absolutely no idea how they evolved into the people they were now. Yet he couldn't help but become fascinated by it. Draco spotted Hermione standing at the entrance of the living room. He walked over to her.

"What about you? Have you been good?" Draco whispered as he hugged her.

"Terribly bad." Hermione murmured into his ear.

Over Hermione's shoulder, Draco saw his father hovering awkwardly next to the fireplace, unsure whether he should move or wait for Draco to come over.

"Go." Hermione urged in a barely audible voice before leaving the room.

For the first time in years, Draco was finding the idea of letting go of the past fathomable. Over the course of the years, he gradually restored a fraction of his relationship with his father. They talked occasionally but their conversations were always brief and formal. This year when Draco came back to a house empty of his children, he experienced a part of parenthood that was new to him.

Draco scanned his father from head to toe. He looked like something between the proud man he had known and idolized as a child, and the broken man who had made all the wrong decisions and nearly doomed his family. Lucius Malfoy's blond mane of hair was now grey. The gleam in his eyes was now replaced by a rueful look. Draco hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and hugging his father.

"You know, I thought I'd never be able to forgive you the fact that even after mother had told you everything, you still couldn't make the right choice." Draco confessed, "But now I look at every decision I've made concerning my children and I think...I know I'd always have their best interest in mind. I know I've always done what I thought was best for them. But I can't help thinking if that's what they would say years later. Would my choices for them actually be the right ones? Or will I cock up?"

"You're doing great with your children, Draco." Lucius rested his hand on Draco's shoulder.

"Thank you." Draco acknowledged. "Nevertheless, I realized that I will cock things up at some point. I'm not a saint, of course I'll make mistakes with them. So I was thinking that when the time comes, when I do make those mistakes, I'd want them to forgive me and know that I've tried to achieve the best for them even if I cocked up at doing so."

"I never had the intention of harming you or your mother, Draco. You have to believe this." Lucius nearly pleaded.

"I know." Draco assured. "Now enough with the drama, there's an army of present-hungry short people outside." he jested.

During dinner, Draco's theory came to life. Scorpius, Lyra and Pictor kept guessing what presents they were getting this year and urging time to move forward faster. Hermione even caught Pictor trying to charm the clock. Five minutes to midnight, everybody was gathered around the Christmas tree Hermione and the children had spent hours decorating.

"Everybody, I have an announcement to make." Draco cleared his throat and stood up. "I don't like to boast, but...actually scratch that I do like to boast. I just got an offer to coach the English National Quidditch Team." he announced.

The tiny crowd cheered, all congratulating him at the same time.

"But what we're celebrating the most this year is that we probably have enough house variety to compete with Hogwarts!" Hermione remarked.

"True." Draco nodded, "We have two Gryffindors." he glanced at Scorpius who was winking back at Hermione. "One very special Ravenclaw." Draco continued. Lyra jumped up and clapped her hands. "Aaand everybody else here is a Slytherin." Draco added, pointing his wand at the ornaments that decorated the tree. He transformed their colors into a mix of green and silver.

"Oy! That's unfair!" Scorpius protested.

"It's perfectly fair; we're the majority in the house." Pictor contradicted.

"So you literally win the house cup." Lyra announced theatrically, pushing her cup into Pictor's hand.

The clock announced midnight and the children erupted in noise as they rushed to open their presents.

"Lyra, darling, this is from grandpa and I. Do you know what it is?" Narcissa asked.

"Is it a harp?" Lyra asked as she inspected the instrument in her hand carefully.

"Close. It's a lyre, an ancient instrument, your name was derived from it. Read the words engraved on it." Narcissa urged.

"_And one may see among the stars, the Lyre. Its arms spread apart in heaven. And as time went by, it charmed all that its music reached._" Lyra read slowly in fascination. "This is amazing!" she mused.

"Open our present." Hermione urged enthusiastically.

"Careful, princess. Let me help you." Draco offered.

He stood up and headed towards the huge box. With a few taps of his wand the box was opened and Draco took out a cage from it.

A beautiful brown bird fluttered its wings. It had a peacock-like tail that resembled in shape the lyre Lyra was holding in her hand.

"Merlin's beard! I've never seen something so beautiful before! What's that?" Lyra asked in bewilderment.

"It's called a superb lyrebird." Draco informed.

"Superb indeed!" Scorpius exclaimed as he inspected the bird closely.

Too hasty to wait, Pictor decided to open his presents. "Nimbus 2017!" he cried as loud as he could.

Draco and Hermione's heads flew in Lucius's direction. The old man shrugged at them impassively. "You said we can only get one present so we did. You don't get to say what sort of present too." he protested.

Pictor wasn't paying attention to the silent conversation running between the adults in the room, he was tearing open the wraps of his other gift.

A hand-crafted painting easel lay at the floor in front of the kneeling Pictor, along with a set of brushes and colors.

"Your father and I charmed the brushes and the colors ourselves." Hermione pointed out.

"You'll be amazed at the sort of paintings you can draw with them." Draco added, provoking his son's curiosity.

"I could look at this easel for days and not get bored." wide-eyed Pictor remarked while his fingers traced the detailed ornaments that decorated the easel.

When it was Scorpius's turn to open his present, he took his time to unwrap it neatly.

"Just tear the wraps!" Pictor urged.

"_No._" Scorpius insisted.

"Why not?" Lyra asked impatiently.

"Because it would leave a mess, I don't like mess." he explained.

"Lyra, Pictor, let your brother take his time." Hermione ordered.

A huge wooden box that reached till Scorpius's hip was filled with books of all sorts.

"We didn't know what exactly you would like so we chose randomly and hoped for the best." Narcissa explained, searching her grandson's face for a reaction.

"Some of them are new, some of them are from my library." Lucius pointed out.

"I can live in this box!" The amazed expression on Scorpius's face made everybody burst into laughter.

When he reluctantly let go of his new treasure, Scorpius scanned the tree for his other present and found nothing. He looked in confusion at his parents.

"You've been asking for the same thing for..two or three years now." Hermione said.

"At first we thought you were too young for it. But last year and this year you showed a great sense of responsibility both at home and at school." Draco smiled at his son proudly.

"So we decided that you earned it this year. It's outside." Hermione announced.

Without another word, Scorpius ran to the garden followed by his siblings and grandparents.

A black pony was tied to one of the trees in the garden. It had a single white splash on the top of its head that only added perfection to its stark blackness.

"You wanted a horse but we thought a pony to grow up with you was a better idea." Draco said.

"A better idea? More like, the most perfect idea of all ideas!" Scorpius was having one of his few Lyra moments where he jumped up and down happily.

Draco tugged at Hermione's hand and pulled her back into the house. She didn't have to ask where they were going. They entered their room and Draco closed the door behind them.

"I know how much you loved your cuff links. They were lost that day at the Order's house..when your mark...anyway, ever since then I've had the idea of getting you new ones." Hermione said.

"That day at the Order's house, was one of the worst days of my life. The pain was...humiliating to say the least. But if I had to repeat it a dozen times, I won't change a thing about it." Draco admitted.

"How come?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"I danced with you for the first time." Draco held Hermione's hand and spun her around. "You have no idea how beautiful you looked that day, do you?" he murmured, pulling her to him. "And even though I've spent several nights before that one with you, I've never felt closer to you than I did that night." he confessed.

"I could say the same about that night." Hermione agreed, leaning in to kiss Draco.

"So, the present. I've looked for cuff links that would suit you for too long, but non of the ones I found felt like Draco. So...I made you ones." Hermione said.

She bent her head down, shyly tucking her hair behind her ear. She reached for a small box in her pocket and placed it in Draco's hand. Draco opened the box and took out the cuff links. The dragons on the cuff links had so much details that would put his other ones to shame and Draco couldn't help but think of the amount of time Hermione must have spent on making them.

"I'm sure they're not like the old ones but..." Hermione started to say.

"They're perfect. _You're_ perfect." Draco cut her off, unable to tear his eyes away from Hermione's. "Your present is over there." he nodded in the direction of the window.

Hermione saw something covered with a piece of cloth on the table next to the window. She removed the cloth to reveal a silver pot with a beautiful red leafy plant.

"You wanted flowers." Draco reminded her, "It took me some time to get it right but it worked eventually. The flowers in the pot will change with every month. December's flower is Poinsettia. Next month it will be a Carnation, and so on." he explained. "The flowers never die." he pointed out.

"Just like my love to you." Hermione read out loud the words engraved on the pot.

"You were the best chance I've ever had." Draco whispered against Hermione's lips.

"You were the best choice I've ever made." Hermione whispered back.

At that moment, they both knew. That even though they've been through hell and back, and even though they had to maneuver their life through ministry desks, Quidditch pitches and three hectic children, all was fairly well for the Malfoys.


End file.
